“Ihu mōʻī?”. ʻO ia ka inoa i hāʻawi ʻia i kahi hadrosaur i ʻike ʻia me ka inoa ʻepekema ʻo Rhinorex condrupus. Ua nānā ʻo ia i nā mea kanu o ka Late Cretaceous ma kahi o 75 miliona mau makahiki i hala.
ʻAʻole like me nā hadrosaurs ʻē aʻe, ʻaʻohe iwi a ʻiʻo paha ʻo Rhinorex ma kona poʻo. Akā, he ihu nui. Eia kekahi, ʻaʻole ia i ʻike ʻia i loko o kahi pā 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 nui, ua hele ka poʻe hahai holoholona mōʻalihaku dinosaur i kā lākou mau hana me ka ʻohi a me ka ʻōpala a i kekahi manawa ka dynamite. Ua ʻoki a puhi lākou i nā tona pōhaku i kēlā me kēia kauwela, e ʻimi ana i nā iwi. ʻO nā hale hana o ke kulanui a me nā hale moʻolelo moʻolelo kūlohelohe i hoʻopiha ʻia me nā iwi dinosaur ʻāpana a piha paha. ʻO kahi hapa nui o nā mōʻalihaku, e noho mau ana i loko o nā pahu a me nā mea hoʻoheheʻe plaster i hoʻokuʻu ʻia i loko o nā pahu waihona. ʻAʻole i hāʻawi ʻia iā lākou ka manawa e haʻi i kā lākou mau moʻolelo.
Ua loli kēia kūlana. Hōʻike kekahi mau paleontologists i ka ʻepekema dinosaur i ka lua o ka renaissance. ʻO kā lākou manaʻo ke lawe ʻia nei nā ala hou e loaʻa ai nā ʻike hohonu i ke ola a me nā manawa o nā dinosaurs.
ʻO kekahi o ia mau ala hou e nānā wale i nā mea i loaʻa mua, e like me ka hihia o Rhinorex.
I ka makahiki 1990, ua waiho ʻia nā mōʻalihaku o Rhinorex ma ke Kulanui ʻo Brigham Young. I kēlā manawa, nānā ka poʻe paleontologists i nā ʻili ʻili i loaʻa ma nā iwi ʻōpala hadrosaur, e waiho ana i ka manawa liʻiliʻi no nā iwi poʻo fossilized i loko o nā pōhaku. A laila, ua hoʻoholo ʻelua mau mea noiʻi postdoctoral e nānā i ka iwi poʻo dinosaur. ʻElua makahiki ma hope mai, ua ʻike ʻia ʻo Rhinorex. Ua hoʻomālamalama ka poʻe paleontologists i kā lākou hana.
Ua ʻeli mua ʻia ʻo Rhinorex mai kahi ʻāpana o Utah i kapa ʻia ʻo Neslen site. Ua loaʻa i ka poʻe kālaihonua ke kiʻi akaka loa o ke kaiapuni kahiko o ka pūnaewele Neslen. He wahi noho i mua o ke kai, he ʻāina haʻahaʻa puʻu kahi i hui pū ʻia ai ka wai hou a me ka paʻakai ma kahi kokoke i kahakai o ke kai kahiko. Akā i uka, he 200 mile ka mamao, ʻokoʻa loa ka ʻāina. Ua ʻeli ʻia nā ʻano hadrosaurs ʻē aʻe, ke ʻano crested, i uka. Ma muli o ka nānā ʻole ʻana o ka poʻe palenontologists mua i ka iwi Neslen piha, manaʻo lākou he hadrosaur crested. Ma muli o kēlā manaʻo, ua huki ʻia ka hopena e hiki i nā hadrosaurs crested āpau ke hoʻohana like i nā kumuwaiwai uka a me ka estuarine. ʻAʻole a hiki i ka wā i nānā hou ai ka poʻe palenotologists ʻo Rhinorex maoli nō ia.
E like me ka ʻāpana o ka puʻupuʻu e hāʻule ana i kahi, ʻike ʻo Rhinorex he ʻano hou o ke ola Late Cretaceous. ʻO ka loaʻa ʻana o "King Nose" i hōʻike ʻia i nā ʻano like ʻole o nā hadrosaurs i hoʻololi a hoʻololi ʻia e hoʻopiha i nā niches kaiaola like ʻole.
Ma ka nānā pono ʻana i nā mōʻalihaku i loko o nā pahu waiho lepo lepo, ʻike nā paleontologists i nā lālā hou o ka lāʻau dinosaur o ke ola.
——— Mai Dan Risch
Ka manawa hoʻouna: Feb-01-2023