Iqhina phakathi kwabantu nezinja libuyela emva kumawaka eminyaka. Xa abantu bafudukela kuMntla Merika okokuqala, beza nezinja zabo. Ezi zinja zasekhaya zazisetyenziselwa ukuzingela kwaye zibonelela ngobuqabane obuxabisekileyo kubanini bazo. Kodwa kwakude kudala ngaphambi kokuba ezi canine zifike apha, kwakukho izilwanyana ezizingelayo ezifana nezinja ezazizingela amadlelo namahlathi aseMerika.
Amathambo amathambo anqabileyo naphantse agqibezela enye yezi ntlobo zezityalo ezaphelayo yafunyanwa ziiPaleontologists ezivela kwiSan Diego Natural History Museum. Yafunyanwa kumacwecwe amabini amakhulu elitye lentlabathi kunye nelitye lodaka elafunyanwa ngo-2019 ngexesha lomsebenzi wokwakha kwindawo yase-Otay Ranch yaseSan Diego County.
Le fossil ivela kwiqela lezilwanyana ezaziwa ngokuba yiArcheocyons, eliguqulela ngokuthi "inja yamandulo." Iifosili zisuka kwixesha elidlulileyo le-Oligocene epoch kwaye kukholelwa ukuba zizigidi ezingama-24 ukuya kwi-28 yezigidi zeminyaka ubudala.
Ukufunyaniswa kwabo kube yintsikelelo kwizazinzulu kwiMyuziyam yaseSan Diego yeMbali yeNdalo, kubandakanywa umgcini we-paleontology uTom Deméré, umphandi wasemva kobugqirha u-Ashley Poust, kunye nomncedisi wokukhusela uAmanda Linn.
Ngenxa yokuba iifosili zangoku zemyuziyam aziphelelanga kwaye zilinganiselwe ngenani, i-Archeocyons fossil iya kunceda iqela le-paleo ekuzaliseni izikhewu kwizinto ezikwaziyo malunga nezidalwa zenja zamandulo ezazihlala kwindawo ngoku eyaziwa ngokuba yiSan Diego amashumi ezigidi zeminyaka eyadlulayo. .
Bahamba ngeenzwane okwezinja namhlanje? Ngaba babehlala emithini okanye begrumba emhlabeni? Zazitya ntoni, yaye ziziphi izidalwa eziziqwengayo? Lwaluyintoni ulwalamano lwabo nohlobo lwenja olungasekhoyo olwafika ngaphambi kwabo? Ngaba olu luhlobo olutsha ngokupheleleyo olungekafunyanwa? Le fossil ibonelela abaphandi be-SDNHM ngamaqhekeza ambalwa ongezelelweyo wepuzzle yendaleko engaphelelanga.
Iifosili zeArcheocyons zifunyenwe kwiPasifiki kuMntla-ntshona kunye namaThafa amakhulu, kodwa phantse azange khe kuMazantsi eKalifornia, apho imikhenkce kunye neetectonics zeplate zithe saa, zatshabalalisa, zangcwaba iifosili ezininzi ukusuka ngelo xesha nzulu phantsi komhlaba. Esona sizathu siphambili sokuba le ntsalela ye-Archeocyons ifunyenwe kwaye ithunyelwe kwimyuziyam ngumthetho waseCalifornia ogunyazisa i-paleontologists ukuba ibe khona kwiindawo ezinkulu zokwakha ukuze zikhangele kwaye zikhusele amathambo anokubakho kuphando lwexesha elizayo.
U-Pat Sena, i-paleo monitor ye-San Diego Natural History Museum, wayephonononga iintsalela zamatye kwiprojekthi ye-Otay malunga neminyaka emithathu eyadlulayo xa wabona into eyayibonakala ngathi ngamasuntswana amhlophe amhlophe aphuma kwilitye eligrunjiweyo. Wazoba uphawu olumnyama lweSharpie kwiingqalutye kwaye wababuyisela kwimyuziyam, apho ufundo lwesayensi lwaye lwanqunyanyiswa ngoko nangoko phantse iminyaka emibini ngenxa yobhubhane.
Nge-2 kaDisemba ka-2021, uLinn waqala ukusebenza kula matye mabini amakhulu, esebenzisa izixhobo ezincinci zokukrola kunye nokusika kunye neebrashi ukuze ngokuthe ngcembe asuse umaleko wamatye.
“Ngalo lonke ixesha ndityhila ithambo elitsha, umfanekiso wawucaca ngakumbi,” utshilo uLinn. “Ndingathi, ‘Owu, kulapho eli lungu lidibana khona neli thambo, nanku umnqonqo uye kutsho emilenzeni, nanku iimbambo eziseleyo.
Ngokutsho kuka-Ashley Poust xa i-cheekbone ye-fossil kunye namazinyo avela etyeni, kwacaca ukuba yayiluhlobo lwamandulo lwe-canid.
Ngo-Matshi ka-2022, u-Pous wayengomnye weengcali ezintathu ze-paleontologists zamazwe ngamazwe ezibhengeze ukufumanisa kwazo irhamncwa elitsha elifana nekati elinamazinyo e-saber, u-Dieoaelurus, ukusuka kwixesha le-Eocene.
Kodwa apho iikati zamandulo zazinamazinyo akrazula inyama kuphela, i-omnivorous canids yayinamazinyo omabini ngaphambili ukuze ibulale kwaye itye izilwanyana ezincinci kunye namazinyo athambileyo afana ne-molar ngasemva emlonyeni wabo asetyenziselwa ukutyumza izityalo, imbewu kunye namaqunube. Lo mxube wamazinyo kunye nokumila kokakayi kwanceda uDeméré ukuba achonge ifosili njengeArcheocyons.
Ifosili yomelele ngokupheleleyo ngaphandle kwenxalenye yomsila wayo omde. Amanye amathambo ayo axutywe, mhlawumbi ngenxa yeentshukumo zomhlaba emva kokufa kwesilwanyana, kodwa ukhakhayi, amazinyo, umqolo, imilenze, amaqatha kunye neenzwane zigqityiwe, zibonelela ngobutyebi bolwazi malunga neenguqu ze-Archeocyons.
Ubude bamathambo e-ankle yefosili apho babenokudityaniswa khona kwi-tendon ye-Achilles kubonisa ukuba i-Archeocyons yayiziqhelanise nokuleqa amaxhoba ayo imigama emide kwiindawo ezinengca ezivulekileyo. Kukwakholelwa ukuba umsila wayo oqinileyo, onezihlunu usenokuba usetyenziselwe ukulinganisa ngelixa ubaleka kwaye ujika ngokukhawuleza. Kukwakho nezalathiso ezisuka ezinyaweni zayo ukuba kusenokwenzeka ukuba yayihlala okanye ikhwele emithini.
Ngokwenyama, i-Archeocyons yayilingana nempungutye yanamhlanje engwevu, enemilenze emide kunye nentloko encinci. Yayihamba ngeenzwane zayo kwaye ineenzipho ezingenakuhlehla. Ubume bomzimba wayo onjengompungutye wawahluke kakhulu kuhlobo olungasekhoyo olubizwa ngokuba ziiHesperocyon, ezazizincinci, zinde, zinemilenze emifutshane kwaye zifana nezinambuzane zale mihla.
Ngelixa i-Archeocyons fossil isafundwa kwaye ayibonakali esidlangalaleni, imyuziyam inomboniso omkhulu kumgangatho wayo wokuqala kunye neefosili kunye nezidalwa ezininzi ezimele izidalwa ezazihlala kummandla wonxweme waseSan Diego ngamaxesha amandulo.
U-Ashley Poust uqhubekile wathi esinye sezidalwa kumzobo womzobi uWilliam Stout, isidalwa esifana nempungutye esimi phezu komvundla osandul’ ukubulawa, siyafana nendlela iArcheocyons eyayiza kujongeka ngayo.
