Ubwenzi wapakati pa anthu ndi agalu unayamba kalekale. Anthu atasamukira ku North America koyamba, anabweretsa agalu awo. Agalu owetawa ankawagwiritsa ntchito posaka ndipo ankapatsa eni ake ubwenzi wabwino. Koma kale kwambiri anyaniwa asanafike kuno, kunali nyama zolusa zolusa zangati agalu zomwe zinkasaka udzu ndi nkhalango za ku America.
Mafupa osowa komanso pafupifupi athunthu a imodzi mwa zamoyo zomwe zatha kwa nthawi yayitali adapezedwa ndi akatswiri a Paleontologists ochokera ku San Diego Natural History Museum. Zinapezeka m'miyala iwiri yayikulu yamchenga ndi miyala yamatope yomwe idafukulidwa mu 2019 pantchito yomanga m'dera la Otay Ranch ku San Diego County.
Chotsalira ichi chimachokera ku gulu la nyama zotchedwa Archeocyons, zomwe zimamasulira kuti "galu wakale." Zakale zakufa zakale zinayambira kumapeto kwa nthawi ya Oligocene ndipo amakhulupirira kuti ndi zaka 24 miliyoni mpaka 28 miliyoni.
Kupeza kwawo kwathandiza asayansi ku San Diego Museum of Natural History, kuphatikiza wosamalira paleontology Tom Deméré, wofufuza pambuyo pa udokotala Ashley Poust, ndi wothandizira pachipatala Amanda Linn.
Chifukwa zinthu zakale zakale za nyumba yosungiramo zinthu zakale ndi zosakwanira komanso zowerengeka, zotsalira za Archeocyons zidzathandiza gulu la paleo kudzaza mipata pa zomwe akudziwa ponena za zolengedwa zakale za agalu zomwe zinkakhala mumzinda womwe masiku ano umatchedwa San Diego zaka mamiliyoni ambiri zapitazo. .
Kodi masiku ano amayenda ndi zala ngati agalu? Kodi ankakhala m'mitengo kapena kukumba pansi? Kodi iwo ankadya chiyani, ndipo ndi zolengedwa ziti zomwe zinadya nyamazo? Kodi unansi wawo unali wotani ndi mitundu ya agalu yomwe inatha imene inadza iwo asanabadwe? Kodi uwu ndi zamoyo zatsopano kwambiri zomwe sizinapezekebe? Zinthu zakalezi zimapatsa ofufuza a SDNHM ndi zidutswa zingapo za chithunzithunzi chosakwanira cha chisinthiko.
Zakale za Archeocyons zapezedwa ku Pacific Northwest ndi Great Plains, koma pafupifupi konse ku Southern California, kumene madzi oundana ndi ma tectonics oundana amwazikana, kuwononga, ndi kukwirira zinthu zakale zambiri kuyambira nthawiyo pansi pa nthaka. Chifukwa chachikulu chomwe zinthu zakale zakale za Archeocyons zinapezedwa ndikutumizidwa ku nyumba yosungiramo zinthu zakale ndi malamulo aku California omwe amalamula akatswiri a mbiri yakale kuti akhalepo pa malo akuluakulu omangamanga kuti apeze ndi kuteteza zinthu zakale zomwe zingathe kufufuzidwa m'tsogolomu.
Pat Sena, woyang'anira malo osungiramo zinthu zakale a San Diego Natural History Museum, anali kupenda michira yamiyala mu polojekiti ya Otay pafupifupi zaka zitatu zapitazo pamene adawona zomwe zinkawoneka ngati ting'onoting'ono ta fupa toyera tikutuluka mu thanthwe lofukulidwa. Adajambula cholembera chakuda cha Sharpie pamiyala ndikuwasamutsira kumalo osungiramo zinthu zakale, komwe kafukufuku wasayansi adayimitsidwa nthawi yomweyo pafupifupi zaka ziwiri chifukwa cha mliri.
Pa Disembala 2, 2021, Linn adayamba kugwira ntchito pamiyala iwiri ikuluikulu, pogwiritsa ntchito zida zazing'ono zosema ndi zodulira ndi maburashi kuti pang'onopang'ono achotse miyala.
"Nthawi zonse ndikapeza fupa latsopano, chithunzicho chinkamveka bwino," adatero Linn. Ndikanati, ‘Taonani, apa ndi pamene mbali iyi ikugwirizana ndi fupa ili, apa ndi pamene msana umafika ku miyendo, apa ndi pamene pali nthiti zina.
Malingana ndi Ashley Poust pamene fupa la cheekbone ndi mano anatuluka pa thanthwe, zinaonekeratu kuti inali mitundu yakale ya canid.
Mu Marichi 2022, Poust anali m'modzi mwa akatswiri atatu odziwa zakale padziko lonse lapansi omwe adalengeza kuti apeza chilombo chatsopano chokhala ngati amphaka chokhala ndi mano a saber, Diegoaelurus, wochokera ku Eocene epoch.
Koma pamene amphaka akale anali ndi mano ong'amba mnofu okha, canids omnivorous anali ndi mano onse odula kutsogolo kuti aphe ndi kudya nyama zing'onozing'ono zoyamwitsa ndi mano osalala ngati molar kumbuyo kwa m'kamwa mwawo omwe ankaphwanya zomera, mbewu ndi zipatso. Kusakanizika kwa mano ndi mawonekedwe a chigaza chake kunathandiza Deméré kuzindikira zotsalira zakale ngati Archeocyons.
Chotsaliracho n’chopanda kanthu, kupatulapo mbali ina ya mchira wake wautali. Mafupa ake ena adagwedezeka, mwina chifukwa cha kayendetsedwe ka dziko nyamayo itamwalira, koma chigaza chake, mano, msana, miyendo, akakolo ndi zala zake zonse zatha, zomwe zimapereka chidziwitso chochuluka pa kusintha kwa Archeocyons.
Kutalika kwa mafupa a akakolo omwe akadalumikizana ndi ma Achilles tendons akuwonetsa kuti Archeocyons adazolowera kuthamangitsa nyama zake mtunda wautali kudutsa udzu. Amakhulupiriranso kuti mchira wake wamphamvu, wonyezimira ukhoza kugwiritsidwa ntchito moyenera pothamanga komanso kutembenukira chakuthwa. Palinso zizindikiro kuchokera kumapazi ake kuti mwina akanatha kukhala kapena kukwera m'mitengo.
Mwakuthupi, Archeocyons anali kukula kwa nkhandwe imvi yamasiku ano, yokhala ndi miyendo yayitali ndi mutu wawung'ono. Inayenda ndi zala zake ndipo inali ndi zikhadabo zosabweza. Maonekedwe a thupi lake ngati nkhandwe anali wosiyana kwambiri ndi zamoyo zomwe zinatha zomwe zimatchedwa Hesperocyon, zomwe zinali zazing'ono, zazitali, zinali ndi miyendo yaifupi komanso yofanana ndi ntchentche zamakono.
Ngakhale kuti zinthu zakale za Archeocyons zikuphunziridwabe ndipo sizikuwonetsedwa pagulu, nyumba yosungiramo zinthu zakale imakhala ndi chionetsero chachikulu pansanjika yake yoyamba ndi zotsalira zakale ndi zolengedwa zazikulu zomwe zimayimira zolengedwa zomwe zinkakhala m'mphepete mwa nyanja ya San Diego nthawi zakale.
Ashley Poust anapitiliza kunena kuti chimodzi mwa zolengedwa zojambulidwa ndi wojambula William Stout, cholengedwa chonga nkhandwe choyimirira pa kalulu wongophedwa kumene, ndi chofanana ndi momwe Archeocyons akanawoneka.
