Ivugururwa rya kabiri rya dinosaur.

“Izuru ry’umwami?”. Iryo ni ryo zina ryahawe hadrosaur iherutse kuvumburwa yitwa Rhinorex condrupus. Yarebye mu bimera byo mu mpera za Cretaceous mu myaka miliyoni 75 ishize.
Bitandukanye n'izindi hadrosaurs, Rhinorex nta magufwa cyangwa umubiri yari ifite ku mutwe wayo. Ahubwo, yari ifite izuru rinini. Nanone, ntiyabonetse mu gace k'amabuye nk'andi hadrosaurs ahubwo yabonetse muri Kaminuza ya Brigham Young ku gisenge mu cyumba cyo inyuma.

Mu myaka ibarirwa muri za mirongo, abahigi b'ibisigazwa by'ibinyabuzima bya dinosaure bakoze imirimo yabo bakoresheje isuka n'amasuka ndetse rimwe na rimwe na dynamite. Bacukuraga amabuye menshi kandi bakayatwika buri mpeshyi, bashakisha amagufwa. Laboratwari za kaminuza n'inzu ndangamurage z'amateka karemano zuzuyemo ibisigazwa by'ibinyabuzima bya dinosaure igice cyangwa byose. Ariko igice kinini cy'ibisigazwa by'ibinyabuzima bisigaye mu dusanduku no mu bisigazwa by'amabuye byashyizwe mu bubiko. Ntibahawe umwanya wo kuvuga inkuru zabo.

Ibi byahindutse ubu. Bamwe mu bahanga mu bya paleontology bavuga ko siyansi ya dinosaure irimo kuvugurura ubwa kabiri. Icyo bashaka kuvuga ni uko hari ingamba nshya zirimo gufatwa kugira ngo hamenyekane neza ubuzima n'ibihe bya dinosaure.

Bumwe muri ubwo buryo bushya ni ukureba gusa ibyamaze kuboneka, nk'uko byagenze kuri Rhinorex.
Mu myaka ya 1990, ibisigazwa bya Rhinorex byashyizwe muri Kaminuza ya Brigham Young. Icyo gihe, abahanga mu bya paleontolojia bibanze ku ruhu rwabonekaga ku magufwa y’igiti cya hadrosaur, bituma hasigara umwanya muto wo kubona ibisigazwa by’ibisigazwa by’ibisigazwa bikiri mu mabuye. Hanyuma, abashakashatsi babiri ba postdoctoral bahisemo kureba agahanga ka dinosaur. Nyuma y’imyaka ibiri, Rhinorex yaravumbuwe. Abahanga mu bya paleontolojia bari barimo gutanga urumuri rushya ku byo bakoraga.
Rhinorex yari yaracukuwe mu gace ka Utah kitwa Neslen. Abahanga mu by'ubutaka bari bafite ishusho isobanutse neza y'ibidukikije bya kera by'ahantu ha Neslen. Hari ahantu hatuwe n'inyanja, ikibaya cyuzuyemo ibishanga aho amazi meza n'umunyu byahuriraga hafi y'inkombe z'inyanja ya kera. Ariko imbere mu gihugu, mu birometero 360, ubutaka bwari butandukanye cyane. Izindi nyamaswa zo mu bwoko bwa hadrosaurs, ubwoko bwa cristed, zacukuwe imbere mu gihugu. Kubera ko abahanga mu by'amateka ba mbere batasuzumye igikanka cyose cya Neslen, bibwiraga ko nacyo ari hadrosaurs yo mu cristed. Kubera iyo mpamvu, hafashwe umwanzuro w'uko hadrosaurs zose zo mu cristed zishobora gukoresha umutungo w'imbere mu gihugu n'uwa cristuarine kimwe. Ni bwo abahanga mu by'amateka bongeye gusuzuma aho mu by'ukuri ari Rhinorex.

Kimwe n'igice cy'ikiganiro cyagiye gishyirwa mu mwanya wacyo, kuvumbura ko Rhinorex yari ubwoko bushya bw'ibinyabuzima bya kera bya Cretaceous. Kubona "King Nose" byagaragaje ko ubwoko butandukanye bwa hadrosaurs bwahindutse kandi bugahinduka kugira ngo bwuzuze ahantu hatandukanye mu bidukikije.
Mu gusuzuma neza ibisigazwa by'ibinyabuzima biri mu bubiko bw'ibigega byuzuyemo ivumbi, abahanga mu bya paleontology barimo kubona amashami mashya y'igiti cy'ubuzima cya dinosaur.

——— Biturutse kuri Dan Risch