— inothi lensimu No. 5 —
I-Spinosaurus: isilwane esizingelayo ngasemanzini
Impendulo emfushane
Alikho idayinaso elinomlando onomshwa njenge-Spinosaurus: amathambo ayo okuqala, atholakala eGibhithe, abhujiswa ngo-1944, futhi isimo sayo kwadingeka sakhiwe kabusha amashumi eminyaka. Namuhla okuyinhloko kuyaziwa. Yayiphila eNyakatho Afrika nge-Cretaceous, inemihlathi emide emincane, useyili omude emhlane, futhi yayidla izinhlanzi. Kodwa ukuthi yayizibamba ibhukuda noma ihamba emanzini angajulile, kusaphikiswana ngakho.
Imihlathi yomdobi
Ikhala le-Spinosaurus lalilide futhi lincane, amazinyo ayo eqondile, eyindilinga futhi ecijile: alungele ukubamba isisulu esishelelayo. Ku-Tyrannosaurus konke kuphambene, ngoba inogebhezi olukhulu namazinyo awugqinsi ayechoboza amathambo. Imihlathi enjalo iveza umdobi, nakuba isilwane esizingelayo esicishe sibe ngamamitha angu-14 ubude kungenzeka singazange senqabe esinye isisulu uma sizithela.
Ubufakazi obuqondile bushiywe yisihlobo sayo, i-Baryonyx. Endaweni yesisu kolunye lwezinhlaka zayo zamathambo kwagcineka izinsalela zezinhlanzi. Ungasho ukuthi imenyu inamathiselwe kulokho okutholakele.
Useyili wawusebenzani
Isisekelo sikaseyili kwakuyizingxenye ezinde kakhulu zamathambo omgogodla emhlane. Okwakuwembozile nokuthi wawubukeka kanjani isilwane siphila, amathambo awakwazi ukukusho ngokuningiliziwe, ngoba izicubu ezithambile azigcinekanga. “Useyili” yisiteketiso nje esilula.
Kunemibono emibili. Useyili kungenzeka wawuwuphawu izilwane zohlobo olulodwa ezazibonana ngalo futhi zikhethe abalingani, noma wawusiza ekulawuleni ukushisa komzimba. Umbono wokuqala usekelwa yinto etholakale ngo-2026: uhlobo olusha lwe-Spinosaurus oluvela eNiger lwalunesiqhova eside esigobile njengenkemba ekhanda, okunzima ukusicabangela omunye umsebenzi ngaphandle kokuthumela izimpawu kwabanye bohlobo lwaso. Kuyisizathu esinamandla, kodwa akukabi wubufakazi.
Umbhukudi noma unokilonki
Amathambo aminyene nomsila ofana nesigwedlo kwenza kwacatshangwa ukuthi i-Spinosaurus yayitshuza ilandela izinhlanzi. Manje umbono omunye usuphambili. Ngo-2024 kwangatshazwa izibalo zokuminyana kwamathambo ezazisekela umbono womtshuzi, kwathi ngo-2026 kwachazwa uhlobo lwesibili oluvela eNiger, i-Spinosaurus mirabilis. Lwaphila cishe eminyakeni eyizigidi ezingu-95 edlule, amakhulu amakhilomitha kude nolwandle, ngasemifuleni yasemahlathini. Ababhali balo baluqhathanisa nonokilonki omkhulukazi owayedoba izinhlanzi emanzini ajula cishe amamitha amabili.
Abasekela umbono wokuzingela ngaphansi kwamanzi abakanikezeli. Okucacile ukuthi i-Spinosaurus yayikude kakhulu nezilwane ezihuquzelayo zasolwandle zangempela njenge-Mosasaurus. “Yayiphila ngasemanzini” kungasho izinto eziningi ezahlukene, futhi inhlanzi ebanjwe ngasogwini ayimenzi umzingeli abe ngumtshuzi.
Kungani idwetshwa ngezindlela ezahlukene
Isazi sezinsalela saseJalimane u-Ernst Stromer sachaza i-Spinosaurus ngo-1915 ngamathambo avela eGibhithe. Ngo-1944 lawo mathambo abhujiswa ekuqhunyisweni kwamabhomu eMunich; kwasinda izincazelo nemidwebo kuphela. Kusukela lapho ukwakhiwa kabusha kwalungiswa ngokutholwa kwezinsalela ezintsha, futhi okwakushintsha kakhulu kwaba ulwazi ngemilenze yangemuva nomsila. Isilinganiso samanje, cishe amamitha angu-14 namathani angu-7.4, nakho kusha kunezincwadi eziningi: amamitha angu-16–18 akudala manje kuthiwa ayeqisile. Yingakho izithombe zeminyaka ehlukene zibonakala sengathi zidweba izilwane ezahlukene.
Imibuzo nezimpendulo
Ingabe i-Spinosaurus yayikwazi ukubhukuda?
Yayihlobene kakhulu namanzi, kodwa ukuthi yayingumbhukudi onjani kusaphikiswana ngakho. Izifundo zango-2024–2026 zivame ukudweba isilwane esizingelayo esasihamba emanzini angajulile sihlwithe izinhlanzi njengonokilonki, hhayi umzingeli olandela isisulu ngaphansi kwamanzi. Impikiswano ayikavalwa.
Yiyiphi ebingawina: i-Spinosaurus noma i-Tyrannosaurus?
Ayikho: zazingeke zihlangane. Zihlukaniswe ngamashumi ezigidi zeminyaka nangolwandlekazi, ngakho le mpi ingenzeka kumafilimu kuphela.
Useyili wawusebenzani?
Kungenzeka kakhulu wawungowokuzibonisa kwabanye bohlobo lwayo; kuxoxwa nangokulawula ukushisa. Impendulo eqondile ayikho.
I-Spinosaurus yayidlani?
Ikakhulu izinhlanzi, njengoba kubonisa imihlathi namazinyo. Kodwa asikho isizathu sokuyibona njengesilwane esidla izinhlanzi kuphela.
