Anthu oyambirira a ku America ankasaka armadillos ndikukhala mkati mwa zipolopolo zawo

Ma Glyptodons anali nyama zazikulu, zokhala ndi zida zomwe zidakula mpaka kukula ngati Volkswagen Beetle, ndipo nzika zakumaloko zidabisala mkati mwa zipolopolo zawo zazikulu.

Ngati mumakonda kudziwa za nyama zakale, ndiye kuti mwamvapo za armadillos wamkulu. Zamoyo zimenezi zinali kuyendayenda padziko lapansi zaka mamiliyoni ambiri zapitazo, ndipo zinali mbali yofunika kwambiri ya chilengedwe. Masiku ano, iwo atha, koma asiya mbiri yakale ya momwe amagwiritsidwira ntchito ndi zikhalidwe zakale. M’zaka zaposachedwapa, asayansi atulukira njira zambiri zodabwitsa zimene anthu a m’dzikoli anagwiritsa ntchito kakakuona kuti apulumuke, zomwe mwina zinachititsa kuti nyamazi zitheretu.

Anthu oyambirira a ku America ankasaka nyama zazikuluzikulu za armadillos ndikukhala mkati mwa zipolopolo zawo 1
Kumasulira kwa 3D kwa Glyptodons (chimphona chachikulu) chomwe chinkakhala ku South ndi Central America kuchokera pafupifupi zaka 5.3 miliyoni mpaka zaka 11,700 zapitazo, zomwe zikutanthauza kuti anthu oyambirira ankakhala ndi zolengedwa zazikuluzikuluzi. © AdobeStock

Armadillos wamkulu mu Paleontology

Anthu oyambirira a ku America ankasaka nyama zazikuluzikulu za armadillos ndikukhala mkati mwa zipolopolo zawo 2
Ma Glyptodonts, monga chotsalira ichi ku Minnesota Science Museum, ali ndi zipolopolo zomwe zimaphatikizidwa mu dome yolimba. © Ryan Somma/Flickr

Armadillos wamkulu ndi wa banja la Glyptodontidae, gulu la nyama zoyamwitsa zomwe zinatha zomwe zinkakhala ku South America panthawi ya Nthawi ya Pleistocene. Zinali nyama zazikulu, zolemera makilogalamu 1,500 ndipo zinali zotalika mamita 10 m’litali. Anali ndi zida zapadera zankhondo zomwe zimawateteza kwa adani ndikuwapatsa chitetezo chowopsa.

Akatswiri ofufuza zinthu zakale apeza mitundu ingapo ya armadillos akuluakulu, kuphatikiza Glyptodon, Doedicurus, ndi Panochthus. Mitundu imeneyi inali ndi maonekedwe osiyana, koma onse ankagawana zida zofanana ndipo anali odya zitsamba.

Makhalidwe a thupi la chimphona cha armadillos

Anthu oyambirira a ku America ankasaka nyama zazikuluzikulu za armadillos ndikukhala mkati mwa zipolopolo zawo 3
Amuna a ku Doedicurus anali ndi michira yopindika, ngati chibonga yomwe ankaganiza kuti idagwiritsidwa ntchito kulimbana ndi amuna ena ndipo mwina adani. © Peter Schouten

Zimphona zazikulu za armadillos zinali zolengedwa zapadera zokhala ndi mawonekedwe angapo odabwitsa. Anali ndi chipolopolo chokhuthala cha mafupa ankhondo chomwe chinakula kukhala chachikulu ngati Volkswagen Beetle ndipo chinaphimba thupi lawo lonse, kuphatikizapo mutu, miyendo, ndi mchira. Zida zimenezi zinali ndi miyala yambirimbiri ya mafupa omwe anasakanikirana, kuwapatsa njira yodzitetezera yolimbana ndi adani.

Zikhadabo zawo zinalinso zapadera, ndipo zinkagwiritsidwa ntchito kukumba dzenje, kupeza chakudya, ndi kudziteteza kwa adani. Iwo anali ndi mphuno yaitali imene ankagwiritsa ntchito posakasaka chakudya, ndipo mano awo anawapangira kuti azipera zomera.

Malo okhala ndi kugawa kwa armadillos akuluakulu

Armadillos akuluakulu anapezeka ku South America, makamaka m'madera a udzu ndi ma savanna. Ankakonda madera okhala ndi zomera ndi madzi ochuluka ndipo nthawi zambiri ankapezeka pafupi ndi mitsinje ndi nyanja.

Ankadziwikanso kuti amakumba mikwingwirima yambiri yomwe amagwiritsira ntchito pogona ndi chitetezo. Miyendo imeneyi nthawi zambiri inkazama mamita angapo ndipo inkawathandiza kukhala otetezeka ku zilombo komanso nyengo yoipa.

Kugwiritsa ntchito armadillos chimphona m'zikhalidwe zawo

Nyama zazikuluzikulu za armadillo zinathandiza kwambiri pa moyo wa anthu azikhalidwe za ku South America. Ankasaka nyama zawo, zomwe zinali zomanga thupi. Anthu a m’derali ankagwiritsanso ntchito zigoba zawo pazifukwa zosiyanasiyana, monga kupanga malo okhala, zida, ngakhalenso zida zoimbira.

M'zikhalidwe zina, zida zankhondo za armadillos zazikulu zinkagwiritsidwanso ntchito pazifukwa zachipembedzo ndi zauzimu. Iwo ankakhulupirira kuti zida zankhondozo zinali ndi mphamvu zoteteza komanso kuti zingathamangitse mizimu yoipa.

Udindo wa armadillos wamkulu mu chilengedwe

Nyama zazikuluzikulu za armadillos zinali zodya udzu, ndipo zinkathandiza kwambiri m’chilengedwe pothandiza kuti zomera zisamayende bwino ndi zomera zina. Zinkadziwika kuti zimadya zomera zolimba, zokhala ndi ulusi zomwe zinyama zina sizikanatha kugayidwa, ndipo zinkathandiza kufalitsa njere kumalo awo onse.

M’ngalande zawo munalinso malo okhala nyama zina monga makoswe, zokwawa, ndi mbalame. Zawo machitidwe obowola nthawi zambiri anali ochuluka kwambiri kuti azitha kugwiritsidwa ntchito ndi mitundu ingapo yosiyanasiyana pa nthawi imodzi.

Kodi nkhono zazikuluzikuluzi zinatha bwanji?

Chifukwa chenicheni chimene nyamazi zazikuluzikuluzikuluzikuluzikuluzikirozi zinathera sichikudziwikabe, koma asayansi akukhulupirira kuti kusaka anthu kunathandiza kwambiri. Anthu atafika ku South America, anasaka nyama zambiri zoyamwitsa. kuphatikizapo armadillos chimphona, kutheratu.

N’kutheka kuti anthu anayamba kusaka mbalamezi atafika ku South America, zomwe mwina zinachititsa kuti zitheretu. © Heinrich Harder
N’kutheka kuti anthu anayamba kusaka mbalamezi atafika ku South America, zomwe mwina zinachititsa kuti zitheretu. © Heinrich Harder

Kutayika kwa nyamazi kunakhudza kwambiri chilengedwe, ndipo zinatenga zaka masauzande kuti chilengedwe chibwererenso. Masiku ano, umboni wokha wa kukhalapo kwawo ndi mafupa awo akuluakulu ndi cholowa chomwe adasiya m'zikhalidwe zomwe zimadalira iwo kuti apulumuke.

Anthu oyambirira a ku America ankasaka nyama zazikuluzikulu za armadillos ndikukhala mkati mwa zipolopolo zawo 4
Pampatherium ndi mtundu wina wakufa wa nyama isanayambe mbiri yomwe inkakhala ku America panthawi ya Pleistocene. Mitundu ina inazimiririka kumalire a Pleistocene-Holocene. Pampatheres nthawi zambiri ankafanana ndi armadillos aakulu, makamaka mawonekedwe ake a chigaza, mphuno yaitali, ndi kukhalapo kwa madera atatu pa carapace (magulu osunthika, zishango za scapular ndi pelvic). Zina mwa zinthu zomwe zimawasiyanitsa ndi armadillos ndi mano awo akumbuyo, omwe ndi bilobate osati ngati msomali. © Wikimedia Commons

Anthu ankasaka nyama zoyamwitsa kuti zithe ku North America

Monganso ku South America, kumpoto kwa America kunali komwe kuli zinyama zazikulu zambiri, monga mammoths, mastodon, ndi sloths pansi. Komabe, zaka pafupifupi 13,000 zapitazo, nyama zimenezi zinayamba kutha. Asayansi akukhulupirira kuti kusaka kwa anthu ndi chimodzi mwa zifukwa zazikulu zomwe zinachititsa kuti ziwonongeke.

Anthu oyambirira a ku America ankasaka nyama zazikuluzikulu za armadillos ndikukhala mkati mwa zipolopolo zawo 5
Nyama zotchedwa woolly mammoths, armadillos aakulu ndi mitundu itatu ya ngamila zinali m’gulu la nyama zoyamwitsa zoposa 30 zimene anthu a ku North America ankasaka mpaka kutha zaka 13,000 mpaka 12,000 zapitazo. malinga ndi zenizeni, zamakompyuta zamakono mpaka pano. © iStock

Kufika kwa anthu (Paleolithic hunter-gatherers) ku North America kunali kusintha kwakukulu m'mbiri ya chilengedwe, ndipo zinatenga zaka masauzande angapo kuti chilengedwe chikhalenso ndi kutayika kwa zinyama zapaderazi.

Kufika kwa anthu ku North America kumakhulupirira kuti kunachitika zaka 15,000 mpaka 20,000 zapitazo (zaka 33,000 zapitazo, malinga ndi magwero ena) kudutsa mlatho wamtunda umene umagwirizanitsa masiku ano Siberia, Russia, ndi Alaska, wotchedwa Bering Strait. Kusamuka kumeneku kunali chochitika chofunika kwambiri chomwe chinasintha mbiri ya kontinenti ndikusintha chilengedwe m'njira zomwe asayansi akufufuzabe mpaka lero.

Chimodzi mwa zovuta kwambiri za kubwera kwa anthu ku North America chinali kuyambitsidwa kwa mitundu yatsopano monga akavalo, ng'ombe, nkhumba, ndi nyama zina zoweta zomwe zinabweretsedwa pamodzi ndi obwera. Izi zinayambitsa kusintha kwa zomera ndi nthaka, zomwe zinachititsa kuti mitundu yachilengedwe isachoke m'madera awo komanso kusintha kwa zinthu zachilengedwe.

Kuchuluka kwa anthu ku North America kunayambitsanso zovuta zambiri zachilengedwe kudzera muulimi, kusaka, ndi kudula mitengo mwachisawawa, zomwe zinachititsa kuti mitundu yosiyanasiyana ya nyama, kuphatikizapo mammoths, giant ground sloths, ndi akambuku a mano athawike.

Ngakhale kuchititsa kusintha kwakukulu kwa chilengedwe, anthu adayambitsanso njira zatsopano zaulimi, umisiri wapamwamba komanso kupanga chuma chatsopano chomwe chimapangitsa moyo wawo kukhala wabwino. Momwemonso, kubwera kwa anthu ku North America sikungathe kuwonedwa ndi malingaliro oipa koma kwabweretsanso zotsatira zabwino m'deralo.

Mkhalidwe wapano ndi kasungidwe ka armadillos wamkulu

Tsoka ilo, armadillos akale kwambiri atha, ndipo palibe zamoyo zomwe zatsala. Komabe, cholowa chawo chimakhalabe m'zikhalidwe zomwe zidadalira iwo kuti apulumuke komanso gulu lasayansi lomwe limawaphunzira kuti amvetsetse mbiri ya chilengedwe.

Anthu oyambirira a ku America ankasaka nyama zazikuluzikulu za armadillos ndikukhala mkati mwa zipolopolo zawo 6
Kafukufuku wa DNA adawonetsa kuti achibale amakono a Glyptodonts ndi armadillos apinki.Chlamyphorus truncatusndi armadillos (Priodontes maximus). © Fickr

Masiku ano, pali zoyesayesa zingapo zotetezera malo okhala nyama zamtundu wina wa armadillo, monga armadillo okhala ndi mipanda sikisi ndi mtundu wa pinki. Izi ndizofunika kwambiri kuti chilengedwe chisamayende bwino komanso kusunga nyama zapaderazi kuti zikwaniritsidwe mibadwo yamtsogolo.

Mawu omaliza

Armadillos zazikulu zinali zolengedwa zochititsa chidwi zakale zomwe zidathandiza kwambiri pazachilengedwe komanso miyoyo ya anthu azikhalidwe zakomweko. Anthu anawasaka mpaka kutheratu, ndipo kutayika kwawo kunakhudza kwambiri mbiri ya chilengedwe. Masiku ano, titha kuphunzira kuchokera ku zomwe adatengera ndikugwira ntchito yoteteza mitundu ina ya armadillo ndikusunga zachilengedwe.