I-King Kong gorilla iyinganekwane esikweni elidumile, kodwa bewazi ukuthi kwakukhona uhlobo lwangempela lwenkawu enkulu eyazulazula emhlabeni eminyakeni engu-300,000 edlule? Ngeshwa, lesi silwane esikhulu manje asisekho, futhi ososayensi bakholelwa ukuthi ukushintsha kwesimo sezulu kwaba nengxenye enkulu ekubhujisweni kwaso.
Ngemva kweminyaka yocwaningo nokuhlaziya, ososayensi bathole ukuthi ukwehla kwenkawu yase-King Kong kwakungenxa yokuthi yayingakwazi ukuzivumelanisa nesimo sezulu esishintshayo.
I-Gigantopithecus, into eseduze kakhulu ne-King Kong yeqiniso eyake yakhiqizwa Imvelo, yayinesisindo esiphindwe kahlanu kunesomuntu omdala futhi yayimamitha amathathu ubude (amafidi ayisishiyagalolunye), ngokwezilinganiso ezinyakazayo.
Yayihlala emahlathini asemi-tropical eningizimu yeChina naseNingizimu-mpumalanga ye-Asia eminyakeni eyisigidi edlule. Kodwa-ke, cishe kuncane okwakwaziwa ngesimo somzimba somdondoshiya noma ukuziphatha.
Okuwukuphela kwezinsalela zezinsalela ziyimihlathi emine engezansi engaphelele futhi mhlawumbe namazinyo ayinkulungwane, eyokuqala yawo yatholwa ezindaweni zokupholisa izidumbu zaseHong Kong ngo-1935 futhi idayiswa “njengamazinyo kadrako.”
NgokukaHerve Bocherens, umcwaningi wase-Tübingen University eJalimane, lezi zinsalela ezimbalwa ngokuqinisekile azanele ukunquma ukuthi isilwane sasinama-bipedal noma ama-quadrupedal, nokuthi ngabe ingakanani imizimba yaso.
I-orangutan ihlobene kakhulu nesimanje, kodwa akuqinisekwa ukuthi i-Gigantopithecus yayinombala ofanayo obomvu osagolide noma yayimnyama njengegorila.
Ukudla kwayo nakho kuyimfihlakalo. Ingabe kwakuyisilwane esidla inyama noma umuntu odla imifino? Ingabe yabelana ngoqalo nomakhelwane wayo i-panda ewumdondoshiya wangaphambi komlando Ukuphendula le mfumbe kungase kusitshele nokuthi kungani isilo esasinokwesatshwa okuncane kwezinye izilwane sashabalala.
Kulapho amazinyo ayenendaba khona. U-Bocherens kanye nethimba lamazwe ngamazwe lososayensi bathola ukuthi i-King Kong yasendulo yayihlala ehlathini kuphela, yayingadli imifino eqinile, futhi cishe yayingathandi uqalo ngokuhlola izinguquko ezincane ku-carbon isotopes ezitholwa koqweqwe lwawo lwamazinyo.
Lokhu okuthandwayo okukhawulelwe akuzange kube yinkinga ku-Gigantopithecus kwaze kwaba yilapho uMhlaba ushaywa yinkathi enkulu yeqhwa ngesikhathi se-Pleistocene Epoch, eyathatha iminyaka engaba yizigidi ezingu-2.6 kuya kweziyi-12,000 edlule.
Imvelo, ukuziphendukela kwemvelo, futhi mhlawumbe nokungafuni ukuhlola ukudla okusha konke kwasebenza ukucekela phansi inkawu enkulu ngaleso sikhathi. Ngenxa yobukhulu bayo, i-Gigantopithecus kumele ukuthi yayithembele ekudleni okuningi.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, ngesikhathi se-Pleistocene, amahlathi amaningi aminyene aguqulwa abe ama-savannah landscape, futhi okubangele ukuntuleka kokudla.
Naphezu kwalokhu, ezinye izimfene kanye nabantu bokuqala e-Afrika ababenamathuluzi amazinyo afanayo bakwazi ukuphila ezinguqukweni ezifanayo ngokudla amaqabunga, utshani, nezimpande ezazinikezwe indawo yazo entsha, ngokusho kocwaningo. Nokho, inkawu enkulu yase-Asia, okungenzeka ukuthi yayinde kakhulu ukuba ingakhwela izihlahla noma ilenge emagatsheni azo, ayizange ilwenze lolu shintsho.
“I-Gigantopithecus cishe yayingenakho ukuguquguquka okufanayo kwemvelo futhi ngokunokwenzeka yayingenawo amandla okuphila okumelana nokucindezeleka nokuntuleka kokudla,” kuphawula lolu cwaningo, olwanyatheliswa kumagazini onguchwepheshe, i-Quaternary International.
Ukuthi i-mega-ape ibingazijwayelanisa nezwe elishintshayo kodwa akwenzekanga, noma ngabe ibhujiswe isimo sezulu nezakhi zayo zofuzo, mhlawumbe kuyimfihlakalo engasoze yaxazululeka.
Ukushintsha kwesimo sezulu eminyakeni engamakhulu ambalwa ezinkulungwane edlule nakho okungenzeka kwaba yimbangela yokunyamalala kwezinye izilwane eziningi ezinkulu ezwekazini lase-Asia.
Indaba yenkawu iyisikhumbuzo sokubaluleka kokuqonda umthelela wokuguquka kwesimo sezulu emhlabeni wethu, kanye nesidingo sokuthatha isinyathelo ukuvikela umhlaba wemvelo.
