I-platypus Eyimpicabadala
NGUMLOBELI WE-PHAPHAMA! E-AUSTRALIA
LAPHO ososayensi beqala ukubona i-platypus, abazange bazi ukuthi babengayichaza kanjani. Lesi kwakuyisilwane esiyindida, esinesisindo esiyikhilogremu elilodwa noma amabili esasiphikisana nezinye zezinkolelo zabo ezingokwesayensi. Sikumema ukuba ubone lesi silwanyana esiyingqayizivele sase-Australia—isilwane esihle, esinamahloni, futhi esithandekayo. Nokho, ake siqale siphindele emuva onyakeni ka-1799 futhi sibone isiphithiphithi i-platypus eyasibangela lapho ososayensi baseBrithani behlola isikhundla sayo okokuqala ngqá.
“Wayengakukholelwa nhlobo [ayekubona],” kusho i-encyclopedia ethile ngokuqondene noDkt. Shaw, isekela lomnakekeli emkhakheni wezoMlando Wemvelo eBritish Museum. Wayecabanga ukuthi “othile wayexhumelele uqhwaku lwedada emzimbeni [wesilwane esinemilenze emine]. Wazama [ukulukhipha] lolu qhwaku, futhi namuhla izibazi zesikele sakhe zisengabonakala esikhunjeni seyokuqala.”
Ngisho nalapho kutholakala ukuthi lesi sikhumba sasingesoqobo, ososayensi babesakhungathekile. I-platypus—igama layo elisho ukuthi “ononyawo oluyisicaba”—inesimiso sokuzala esifana ncamashí nesenyoni kodwa futhi inemibele. Lendida yaphakamisa umbuzo: Ingabe lesi silwane esiyindida sasizalela, noma cha?
Ngemva kweminyaka eminingi yokuphikisana, kwatholakala ukuthi ngempela i-platypus yayizalela. Kodwa kwabonakala sengathi konke okwakutholakala kwakumane kunezele kulemfumbe. Usichaza kanjani isilwane (1) esizalelayo kodwa esinemibele; (2) esinoboya kodwa esinoqhwaku lwedada; futhi (3) esinohlaka lwamathambo olunezici zesilwane esihuquzelayo esinegazi elibandayo kodwa sona sibe sinegazi elifudumele?
Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, ososayensi bavuma ukuthi i-platypus iyisilwane esincelisayo sesigaba se-Monotremata. I-monotreme, njengesilwane esihuquzelayo, inembobo eyodwa yokukhipha amaqanda, isidoda, indle, nomchamo. Okuwukuphela kwenye i-monotreme ephilayo i-echidna. Igama elingokwesayensi le-platypus i-Ornithorhynchus anatinus, elisho “isilwane esinjengedada kodwa esinekhala lenyoni.”
Ake Siyobona I-platypus
Singaya e-zoo, kodwa akukho okunjengokuyibona endle i-platypus ethanda ukuzifihla—into okungabantu base-Australia abambalwa abake bayibona. Siqala ukuyifuna empumalanga ye-Australia, eBlue Mountains entshonalanga yeSydney, nakuba singayibona emifuleni, emifudlaneni, nasemachibini amaningi ngasempumalanga ye-Australia.
Sifika ngaphambi kokuphuma kwelanga ebhulohweni lamapulangwe elidala emfuleni ozolile, ohaqwe izihlahla zikagamthilini. Silindela ngesineke futhi ngokuthula ukuvela kwesithunzana esigxumagxuma emanzini. Ngokushesha siyavela. Emamitheni angaba ngu-50 ngenhla nalomfudlana, kuvela okuthile, kulibangise ngakithi. Kumelwe sime phuhle.
Ukunyakaza kwamanzi okubangelwa uqhwaku lwayo kuyasiqinisekisa ukuthi i-platypus. Lokho kunyakaza kwamanzi kwenzeka lapho i-platypus ihlafuna ukudla ekuqongelela ezikhwameni zayo ezisesihlathini ngesikhathi izingela ngaphansi komfula. Nakuba kuhlukahluka ngokwezikhathi zonyaka, ukudla kwayo ngokuyinhloko imisundu, izibungu zezinambuzane, nama-shrimp asemanzini ahlanzekile.
Ingabe buyakumangalisa ubuncane be-platypus? Buyabamangalisa abantu abaningi. Bacabanga ukuthi i-platypus ingange-beaver noma umthini. Kodwa njengoba ungase ubone, incane ngisho kunanekati elivamile lasendlini. Awezinduna ayahlukahluka ngobude kusuka emasentimitheni angu-45 kuya kwangu-60 futhi anesisindo esisuka kuyikhilogremu elilodwa kuya kwamabili nengxenye. Awezinsikazi athé ukuba mancane.
Njengoba ihamba ngokugwedla ngokushintshanisa imilenze yayo yangaphambili enezinzwane ezihlangene, itshuza ngokuthula ishone ngaphansi kwamanzi futhi ihlale umzuzu owodwa noma emibili njengoba ihamba ngaphansi kwebhuloho. Imilenze yayo yangemuva enezinzwane ezingahlangene ngokuphelele ayisebenzi ekugwedleni kodwa isebenza njengamaphini okuqondisa futhi isebenza ngokuvumelana nomsila lapho ibhukuda. Futhi izimelela ngayo lapho imba umgodi.
Uma iphazamiseka, i-platypus itshuza ngokuzwakalayo ishone phansi, futhi ngokwenza kanjalo isuke isivalelisa! Ngakho sikhuluma kuphela lapho ingaphansi kwamanzi. Siyanyenyeza: “Lesi silwane esincane kangaka sizigcina kanjani sifudumele ikakhulukazi emanzini abanda mpó ebusika?” I-platypus ifudumala kahle kakhulu, isizwa izinto ezimbili: inqubo yokugaya ukudla ekhiqiza amandla ngokushesha bese ifudumala ngaphakathi, novolo onogqinsi olondoloza ukushisa.
Lolo Qhwaku Olumangalisayo
Uqhwaku oluthambile, olusanjoloba lwe-platypus luyinkimbinkimbi kakhulu. Lunezinzwa zokuthinta nezokuthungatha amaza kagesi. Lapho ingaphansi kwamanzi, i-platypus ngesineke iyisa uqhwaku lwayo ngapha nangapha njengoba ihlola, ithungatha ngisho namaza kagesi amancane aphehlwa ukufingqana kwezicubu zezilwanyana ezidlayo. Lapho i-platypus ingaphansi kwamanzi, isebenzisa uqhwaku kuphela, ngoba amehlo ayo, amadlebe, nekhala kusuke kuvalwe ngcí.
Qaphela Leyo Mizwezwe!
Uma umngane wethu omncane engowenduna, imilenze yakhe yangemuva inemizwezwe emibili emaqakaleni ehlanganiswe ngemigudu nezindlala ezimbili zobuthi ezisethangeni. Uyikhipha ngamandla leyo mizwezwe ihlabe umhlaseli ngendlela ecishe ifane nendlela umgibeli wehhashi ahlaba ngayo ihhashi aligibele. Ngokushesha ngemva kokuhlatshwa, isisulu sizwa izinhlungu ezinjunjuthayo bese livuvukala inxeba.
Nokho, lapho ivalelwe, i-platypus ingalunga njengomdlwane. Sekungamashumi eminyaka iHealesville Sanctuary, eVictoria, igcine lezi zilwane futhi ibika ukuthi i-platypus eyayikhona kudala “yayithokozisa izivakashi isikhathi eside, igingqigingqika ukuze kunwayeke isisu sayo . . . Kwakuthutheleka izinkulungwane zezivakashi zizobona lesi silwanyana esingavamile.”
Le-platypus esiyibukayo itshuza ishone phansi okokugcina lapho nje ilanga seliphuma ezintabeni ezingasempumalanga. Ebusuku iye yadla ukudla okungaphezu kwengxenye yesihlanu yesisindo sayo. Njengoba iphuma emanzini, izinzwane zayo ezihlangene ezisemilenzeni yangaphambili zikhipha izinzipho eziqinile. Ibe isilibangisa komunye wemigodi yayo eminingi, embiwe ngokuhlakanipha phakathi kwezimpande zesihlahla ukuze ivikeleke ekugugulekeni nasekuwohlokeni. Ngokuvamile imigodi ezalela kuyo ingamamitha angaba ngu-8 ubude, kodwa eminye imigodi ingase ibe phakathi kwemitha elilodwa kuya kwangamashumi amathathu ubude futhi ingase ibe nemigodi eminingi eyimixhantela. Imigodi ibuye ibe yisivikelo emazingeni okushisa nokubanda aphakeme kakhulu, okwenza ibe imiphandu efudumele izinsikazi ezikhulisela kuyo abantwana bazo.
Isikhathi Sokuzalela
Entwasahlobo insikazi iya emgodini ogxushwe ngohlaza kweminye yemigodi yayo ejulile bese ibekela amaqanda angangozipho lwesithupha asuka kwelilodwa kuya kwamathathu (ngokuvamile aba mabili). Ifukamela amaqanda ayo ngokuwemboza ngomzimba nangomsila wayo onamafutha. Ezinsukwini ezingaba yishumi, abantwana bayaphuma emagobolondweni anjengesikhumba bese bencela ubisi emibeleni kanina emibili. I-platypus yensikazi izikhulisela abantwana iyodwa; abukho ubufakazi bokuthi lezi zilwane ezincelisayo zihlala ndawonye njengombhangqwana isikhathi eside.
Cishe ngo-February, ngemva kwesikhathi sokukhula esiyizinyanga ezintathu nengxenye, abantwana sebekulungele ukungena emanzini. Njengoba amanzi engahlala kuphela izilwane ezimbalwa, ekugcineni abantwana bangase bafune amanzi angenazo izilwane eziningi, banqamule ngisho nezindawo eziyizwe eziyingozi ukuze bawathole.
Lapho evalelwe ama-platypus aye aphila iminyaka engaphezu kwengu-20, kodwa endle amaningi awaphili isikhathi eside kangako. Isomiso nezikhukhula kuyawabhuqabhuqa njengoba nje ebhuqabhuqwa nawukudliwa oxamu, amankentshane, izinyoni ezinkulu ezidla izilwane, futhi enyakatho ekude yeQueensland, ngisho nayizingwenya. Nokho, umuntu uwasongela kakhulu ama-platypus, hhayi ngokuwabulala ngamabomu (manje ama-platypus avikelwe kakhulu), kodwa ngokugxambukela ngonya endaweni ahlala kuyo.
Uma kwenzeka uvakashela e-Australia, ungazibonela ngawakho endaweni yaso engokwemvelo lesi silwanyana esiyinhlanganisela esinoqhwaku lwedada, njengoba singekho nesisodwa ongasibona endle kwenye indawo emhlabeni. Lapho ubona i-platypus, uyobona esinye futhi isici sokudala koMdali okungenamkhawulo—kanye nengxenye yakhe ejabulisayo.
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I-“platypus” ihamba ngokugwedla ngemilenze yayo enezinzwane ezihlangene
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Courtesy of Taronga Zoo
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Njengoba incane kunekati elivamile lasendlini, i-“platypus” inesisindo esiyikhilogremu elilodwa kuya kwamabili nengxenye
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Courtesy of Dr. Tom Grant
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Uqhwaku lwayo olushesha kakhulu ukuzwela luthola ukudla ngaphansi kwamanzi. (Le-“platypus” iseHealesville Sanctuary)
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Courtesy of Healesville Sanctuary
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Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Tom Grant