"Ihu aliʻi?". ʻO ia ka inoa i hāʻawi ʻia i kahi hadrosaur i ʻike hou ʻia me ka inoa ʻepekema ʻo Rhinorex condrupus. Ua ʻimi ʻo ia i nā mea kanu o ka Late Cretaceous ma kahi o 75 miliona mau makahiki i hala.
ʻAʻole e like me nā hadrosaurs ʻē aʻe, ʻaʻohe iwi a ʻiʻo paha o Rhinorex ma kona poʻo. Akā, he ihu nui kona. Eia kekahi, ʻaʻole i ʻike ʻia i loko o kahi pōhaku e like me nā hadrosaurs ʻē aʻe akā ma ke Kulanui ʻo Brigham Young ma kahi papa ma kahi lumi hope.
No nā makahiki he ʻumi, ua hana nā mea hahai holoholona dinosaur i kā lākou mau hana me ka ʻō a me ka pala a i kekahi manawa me ka dynamite. Ua kālai a hoʻokuke lākou i nā tona o ka pōhaku i kēlā me kēia kauwela, e ʻimi ana i nā iwi. Ua piha nā keʻena hoʻokolohua o ke kulanui a me nā hale hōʻikeʻike mōʻaukala kūlohelohe me nā iwi dinosaur hapa a piha paha. Eia nō naʻe, aia kahi hapa nui o nā mōʻalihaku i loko o nā pahu a me nā mea i hoʻoheheʻe ʻia i loko o nā pahu mālama. ʻAʻole i hāʻawi ʻia iā lākou kahi manawa e haʻi i kā lākou mau moʻolelo.
Ua loli kēia kūlana i kēia manawa. Ua wehewehe kekahi poʻe paleontologists i ka ʻepekema dinosaur e like me ke ʻano o ka lua o ka hoʻoulu hou ʻana. ʻO ka manaʻo o lākou, ke lawe ʻia nei nā ala hou e loaʻa ai ka ʻike hohonu i ke ola a me nā manawa o nā dinosaur.
ʻO kekahi o kēlā mau ala hou, ʻo ia ka nānā wale ʻana i nā mea i loaʻa mua, e like me ke ʻano o Rhinorex.
I nā makahiki 1990, ua waiho ʻia nā mōʻalihaku o Rhinorex ma ke Kulanui ʻo Brigham Young. I kēlā manawa, ua kālele nā paleontologists i nā kiʻi ʻili i loaʻa ma nā iwi kumu hadrosaur, e waiho ana i ka manawa liʻiliʻi no nā iwi poʻo i hoʻopaʻa ʻia i loko o nā pōhaku. A laila, ua hoʻoholo ʻelua mau kānaka noiʻi postdoctoral e nānā i ka iwi poʻo dinosaur. ʻElua mau makahiki ma hope mai, ua ʻike ʻia ʻo Rhinorex. Ua hoʻomālamalama hou nā paleontologists i kā lākou hana.
Ua ʻeli mua ʻia ʻo Rhinorex mai kahi ʻāina o Utah i kapa ʻia ʻo Neslen site. Ua loaʻa i nā geologists kahi kiʻi maopopo loa o ke kaiapuni o Neslen i ka wā kahiko. He wahi noho ia ma ka estuarine, he ʻāina haʻahaʻa kahi i hui pū ai nā wai hou a me ka paʻakai kokoke i ke kahakai o ke kai kahiko. Akā ma uka, he 200 mile ka mamao, ua ʻokoʻa loa ka ʻāina. Ua ʻeli ʻia nā hadrosaurs ʻē aʻe, ke ʻano crested, ma uka. No ka mea, ʻaʻole i nānā nā paleontologists mua i ka iwi holoʻokoʻa o Neslen, ua manaʻo lākou he crested hadrosaur nō hoʻi ia. Ma muli o kēlā kuhiakau, ua huki ʻia ka hopena e hiki i nā hadrosaurs crested āpau ke hoʻohana like i nā kumuwaiwai o uka a me ka estuarine. ʻAʻole a hiki i ka wā i nānā hou ai nā palenotologists iā ia he Rhinorex maoli nō ia.
E like me ka ʻāpana o ka puzzle e hāʻule ana i kona wahi, ʻo ka ʻike ʻana he ʻano hou ʻo Rhinorex o ke ola Late Cretaceous. Ua hōʻike ka loaʻa ʻana o "King Nose" ua hoʻololi a ulu nā ʻano like ʻole o nā hadrosaurs e hoʻopiha i nā niches kaiaola like ʻole.
Ma ka nānā pono ʻana aku i nā mōʻalihaku i loko o nā ʻōpala lepo, ke loaʻa nei i nā paleontologists nā lālā hou o ka lāʻau dinosaur o ke ola.
——— Mai Dan Risch mai
Ka manawa hoʻouna: Pepeluali-01-2023