"Ihu kingi?". Koinei te ingoa i hoatu ki tētahi hadrosaur i kitea tata nei, ko tōna ingoa pūtaiao ko Rhinorex condrupus. I kai ia i ngā otaota o te wā Cretaceous whakamutunga tata ki te 75 miriona tau ki muri.
Kāore i rite ki ētahi atu hadrosaurs, kāore he tohu wheua, he kiko rānei i runga i tōna māhunga o Rhinorex. Engari, he ihu nui tōna. I kitea anō hoki, ehara i te mea i roto i te pari toka pērā i ētahi atu hadrosaurs engari i Te Whare Wānanga o Brigham Young i runga i tētahi whata i roto i tētahi rūma o muri.
Mō ngā tekau tau, i mahi ngā kaiwhai kōhatu tawhito o ngā tainasoa i ā rātou mahi me te toki me te koko, ā, i ētahi wā he dynamite. I ia raumati ka whaohia e rātou, ka pupuhihia hoki ngā tana o ngā toka, e rapu ana i ngā wheua. Kī tonu ngā taiwhanga whare wānanga me ngā whare taonga hītori taiao i ngā angaanga tainasoa wāhanga, katoa rānei. Heoi, he wāhanga nui o ngā kōhatu tawhito kei roto tonu i ngā pouaka me ngā whakarewa parai kua purua ki roto i ngā ipu rokiroki. Kāore anō kia hoatu he wā ki a rātou ki te kōrero i ā rātou kōrero.
Kua rerekē tēnei āhuatanga. E whakaahua ana ētahi tohunga paleontology i te pūtaiao o ngā tainasoa kei te haere ki te whakaoranga tuarua. Ko tā rātou tikanga he huarahi hou kei te tangohia hei rapu māramatanga hōhonu ake mō te oranga me ngā wā o ngā tainasoa.
Ko tētahi o aua huarahi hou ko te titiro noa ki ngā mea kua kitea kētia, pērā i te take mō Rhinorex.
I ngā tau 1990, i whakatakotoria ngā kōiwi tawhito o Rhinorex ki Te Whare Wānanga o Brigham Young. I taua wā, i arotahi ngā tohunga paleontology ki ngā tohu kiri i kitea i runga i ngā wheua o te take o te hadrosaur, ā, he iti noa te wā i mahue mō ngā angaanga kua kōiwi tonu i roto i ngā toka. Kātahi ka whakatau ētahi kairangahau postdoctoral tokorua ki te tirotiro i te angaanga o te tainasoa. E rua tau i muri mai, ka kitea a Rhinorex. I whakamāramahia e ngā tohunga paleontology he māramatanga hou mō ā rātou mahi.
I keria tuatahitia a Rhinorex i tētahi rohe o Utah e kiia nei ko te wāhi o Neslen. He mārama te tirohanga a ngā tohunga whenua ki te taiao o Neslen i ngā rā o mua. He kāinga noho awaawa, he whenua pāpaku i reira ka whakaranua ngā wai matao me ngā wai tote e tata ana ki te takutai moana tawhito. Engari i uta, 200 maero te tawhiti, he rerekē rawa te whenua. Kua keria kētia ētahi atu hadrosaurs, te momo crested, ki uta. Nā te mea kāore i tirotirohia e ngā tohunga paleontology o mua te angaanga Neslen katoa, i whakaaro rātou he crested hadrosaur anō hoki. Nā taua whakaaro, i puta te whakatau ka taea e ngā hadrosaurs crested katoa te whakamahi i ngā rauemi o uta me te awaawa. Tae noa ki te wā i tirotirohia anō ai e ngā tohunga palenotology, ko Rhinorex tonu.
Pērā i te wāhanga panga e taka ana ki tōna wāhi tika, e kitea ana ko te Rhinorex he momo hou nō te oranga o te wā o te Cretaceous o te mutunga. I whakaatuhia i te kitenga o te "King Nose" he rerekē ngā momo hadrosaurs i urutau, i whanake hoki hei whakakī i ngā āputa rauropi rerekē.
Mā te tirotiro noa i ngā wheua tawhito i roto i ngā ipu rokiroki puehu, kua kitea e ngā tohunga pūtaiao tawhito ngā manga hou o te rākau ora o ngā tainasoa.
Nā Dan Risch
Te wā tuku: Hui-tanguru-01-2023