Lawo Mamarsupial Amangalisayo AseAustralia
Ngumlobeli wePhaphama! eAustralia
EQINISWENI iyini imarsupial, futhi yini eyenza amamarsupial amangalise kangaka?
Kalula nje, imarsupial uhlobo oluthile lwesilwane esincelisayo, okungukuthi, isilwane esinegazi elifudumele esincelisa abantwana baso. Nokho, ngokungafani nezilwane eziningi ezincelisayo, amamarsupial ensikazi awabi nawo umhlapho (placenta) ezibelethweni zawo ngesikhathi sokumitha. Azala abantwana bawo bebancane kakhulu, bengaboni, bese ebancelisa futhi abavikele ezikhwameni ezingaphandle. Ngakho, ngokuyisisekelo, imarsupial isilwane esincelisayo esinesikhwama, ngoba igama lesiLatini elithi marsupium lisho “isikhwama” noma “iphakethe.”
Eqinisweni, ikangaroo imane nje ingenye yezinhlobo ezicishe zibe ngu-250 zamamarsupial. Akhona amamarsupial kwamanye amazwe ngaphandle kwaseAustralia—kodwa awamaningi. Ngokwesibonelo, iopossum yaseNyakatho Melika iyimarsupial, futhi amanye atholakala eNingizimu Melika. Kodwa iningi lamamarsupial litholakala endaweni yaseAustralasia, njengoba kuye kwabonakala lapho izinhlobo ezingaba ngu-175 ezihlukahlukene. Sekukonke, kunezinhlobo ezingu-45 zamakangaroo eAustralia, kodwa eyaziwa kakhulu ikangaroo enkulu ebomvu. Ingenkulu kunawo wonke amamarsupial, inesisindo esingamakhilogremu angu-90, futhi yedlula abantu abaningi ngobude. Noma kunjalo, eyensikazi yincane ngokuphawulekayo futhi inombala ompunga-ngokuluhlaza.
Amakangaroo angakwazi ukweqa amamitha angu-11 ngokugxuma okukodwa. Kuye kwatholakala ukuthi amanye agijima ngesivinini esifinyelela emakhilomitheni angu-64 ngehora futhi aye eqa uthango olungaphezu kwamamitha amathathu ukuphakama. Lekangaroo enkulu ebomvu kanye nencanyana empunga atholakala ezingxenyeni eziningi zalelizwekazi laseAustralia awumbukwane ovamile nomuhle ezihambini ezibuka izwe ezinqamula izindawo ezinemithi ngisho nasezifundeni eziwugwadule olomile ezimaphakathi neAustralia. Amakangaroo ayizilwane ezihamba ngemihlambi futhi ngokuvamile ahlala ndawonye ngamaqembu okuthiwa amamob.
Ukuzala Okuwumbukwane
Mhlawumbe isici esimangalisa kakhulu ngokuphila kwemarsupial ukuzala nokunakekela abantwana. Amakangaroo akubonisa kahle okwenzeka kumamarsupial amaningi. Ezinsukwini ezingu-33 kuya kwezingu-38 nje kuphela ngemva kokuhlangana, umntwana wekangaroo uyazalwa. Kodwa lomntwana osanda kuzalwa empeleni ungaphezudlwana kombungu—isidalwa esincane esinjengobhontshisi, esinesisindo samagremu acishe abe ngu-0,75, sincane kunesihloko sikacikicane wakho, futhi cishe asinambala.
Ngokushesha ngemva kokuba ezelwe, uyasuka esizalweni sikanina “acace” ngoboya bakhe. Khona-ke, usebenzisa izingalo zakhe ezincane ezihlonyiswe ngezidladla, ushikila amasentimitha angu-15 ukuze angene esikhwameni sikanina. Lapho unamathela kowodwa wemibele emine, obese uyakhukhumala lapho ususemlonyeni wakhe. Ngalendlela yokuphila, uthola konke ukondleka akudingayo, futhi ezinyangeni eziyisihlanu ezilandelayo, uhlala kulendawo enethezekile ngaphambi kokukhiphela ngaphandle ikhanda lakhe ngokokuqala ngqá.
Cishe ngenyanga yesithupha, ijoey encane (njengoba abantwana bamakangaroo bebizwa kanjalo) ithatha isinyathelo sayo sokuqala sokuzama ukuhlala ngaphandle, kodwa ngokuvamile iphindela esikhwameni ukuze yondleke futhi ilondeke. Nokho, ekugcineni umama unquma ukuthi ijoey isikhule ngokweqile ukuba ingangena esikhwameni ngakho uyivimbela ngokuphelele ukuba iphindele ngaphakathi. Lapho isinezinyanga ezingu-18 ubudala, ayisenciki kunina ngokuphelele.
Esinye isici esimangalisa-yo ukuthi ikangaroo engumama ingakhiqiza izinhlobo ezimbili ezihlukile zobisi ngesikhathi esifanayo. Ngemva nje kokuzalwa kwejoey yokuqala, umama uhlangana neyeduna futhi. Umbungu osanda kumithwa awenzeki lutho kuze kube yilapho ijoey yokuqala iqala ukuphuma esikhwameni. Khona-ke ijoey yesibili iyazalwa incane kakhulu bese inamathela komunye umbele esikhwameni.
Kodwa ijoey enkulu isalokhu ithola ubisi embeleni wayo wokuqala. Okwenza izinto zibe inkimbinkimbi ngokwengeziwe, ijoey esanda kuzalwa esambungu idinga ubisi oluhlukile. Nokho, lena akuyona inkinga ngoba ngalombele enamathele kuwo, umama manje uyakwazi ukunikeza ubisi olunoshukela omningi, kuyilapho embeleni wokuqala womfowabo omkhulu uyaqhubeka enikeza ubisi olunamaprotein amaningi namafutha!
Nakuba ngokuvamile zingezona izilwane ezithanda ukulwa, ngezinye izikhathi ezamaduna zihlanganyela kulokho okubonakala kuyimidlalo yesibhakela. Ngokuvamile kuba amaduna amancane amabili kuphela avivinya amandla awo. Ngezinye izikhathi amaduna amadala alwa ngokushayana ngezibhakela—eqinisweni elwela eyensikazi ekhethiwe! Lezimpi zingase zibe zimbi kakhulu, njengoba lezesheli eziphikisanayo ziklwebhana ngezingalo futhi zishayana ngamandla ngezinyawo zangemuva.
Ikoala Ejabulisayo—Enye Imarsupial Emangalisayo
Cishe yaziwa kakhulu njengekangaroo, futhi ikhishwa kaningi ezincwajaneni zezihambi ezibuka amazwe eAustralia, leyo imarsupial enhle kunawo wonke—ikoala. Lesidalwa esincane sihlala ezihlahleni kuphela futhi sihambahamba ngokuyinhloko ebusuku. Kaningi ididaniswa nebhele ngenxa yokubonakala kwayo, ngakho ngezinye izikhathi ibizwa ngephutha ngokuthi ibhele eliyikoala. Kodwa ayihlobene nhlobo nomndeni wamabhele, futhi ayilona uhlobo oluthile lweopossum noma imfene. Eqinisweni iyingqayizivele. Yebo, kunenhlobo eyodwa kuphela yamakoala, futhi itholakala emazweni asempumalanga yeAustralia.
Ikoala inekhono elingenakulinganiswa lokujabulisa, ngokubonakala kwayo okunomusa nobungane, amehlo acwebezelayo anjengezinkinobho, ikhala elintofontofo elisanjoloba, cishe nokubonakala njalo ididekile. Njengoba engezona izilwane ezinkulu, akhula abe ngamasentimitha acishe abe ngu-60 ubude futhi abe nesisindo samakhilogremu asukela ku-8 kuya ku-14.
Umntwana wekoala uzalwa njengamanye amamarsupial amaningi ngaphandle kokuthi umama wekoala unesikhwama esivulekela ngemuva. Umntwana osanda kuzalwa uhlala esikhwameni izinyanga eziyisithupha, futhi lapho okokugcina ephumela ngaphandle, ubambelela emhlane kanina njengoba ehambahamba efuna izihlahla ezinamaqabunga amnandi.
Isimiso Esiyingqayizivele Sokugaya Ukudla
Amakoala angabadli abakhethayo. Adla kuphela amaqabunga esihlahla se-eucalyptus. Futhi akuwona wonke amaqabunga awadlayo. Phakathi kwezinhlobo ezihlukahlukene ezingu-600 ezitholakalayo ze-eucalyptus, amakoala adla ezingu-50 noma ezingu-60 kuphela. Uma ezinye izilwane bezingadla lamaqabunga, beziyofa ngenxa kawoyela namakhemikhali anobuthi emaqabungeni anoshevu. Isimiso esiyinkimbinkimbi kakhulu sokugaya ukudla sisiza amakoala ukuba agaye ukudla kwawo kwekhethelo, kodwa ukudla okunjalo okuyingqayizivele kuwenza abe nephunga lomzimba eliwahlukanisayo!
Ezinye izazi zithi amakoala awawaphuzi nhlobo amanzi, futhi igama elithi “koala” kucatshangelwa ukuthi igama loMdabu elisho ukuthi “Angiphuzi.” Kodwa ukuhlola ngokunakekela kuye kwabonisa ukuthi ngezinye izikhathi amakoala ayehla ezihlahleni zawo ukuze aphuze, futhi ngezinye izikhathi adla ngisho nenhlabathi encane ukuze anezele ekudleni kwawo okungenakho okusansimbi.
Nakuba amakangaroo engabonakala kumazoo amaningi emhlabeni wonke, amakoala atholakala kumazoo ambalwa kakhulu angaphandle kweAustralia. Kodwa kungakhathaliseki ukuthi wake waba sethubeni lokuwabona wena ngokwakho noma cha, sinomuzwa oqinisekile wokuthi uzovuma ukuthi ayizilwane ezimangalisa ngempela—lezilwane ezincelisayo ezinezikhwama nezingenawo umhlapho.
[Isithombe ekhasini 16]
Umama we“kangaroo” ne“joey” esikhwameni
[Isithombe ekhasini 17]
I“Koala” idla amaqabunga e“gum”
[Umthombo]
Melbourne Zoo Education Service, Victoria, Australia