Amagugu Osebe Lomfula

Ngumlobeli we-Phaphama! eSpain

NOMA nini lapho ngizihambahambela eduze komfula noma kwechibi, akwenzeki ngingalifuni elinye lamagugu engiwathandayo—lingase libe bomvu, libe luhlaza okwesibhakabhaka, noma libe luhlaza okotshani. Ngezinye izikhathi ngiye ngibone elinye lilele ecembeni sengathi lifile; ngingase ngibone elinye lintweza phezu kwamanzi noma lithi shwí phambi kwami. Leli gugu engilifunayo ujekamanzi (dragonfly)—“indiza enophephela emhlane” ehlotshisiwe eyisinambuzane.

Lamagugu andizayo aqale angikhanga eminyakeni eminingi edlule lapho ngizithela emfudlaneni ongagelezi ngamandla owawunqamula emahlathini. Ojekamanzi babelokhu begcogcoma besuka elangeni babuye baphindele kulo—abanye benombala oluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka kanti abanye benophuzi nokuluhlaza okotshani. Ngachitha ihora ngibuka umdanso wabo wasemoyeni, owashintsha indawo esehlathini yaba igumbi lomdanso elincane. Kusukela ngaleso sikhathi bebelokhu bengihlaba umxhwele.

Lapho ngifunda ngokwengeziwe ngojekamanzi, yilapho ngabubona ngokwengeziwe ubuhle nokubaluleka kwabo. Okokuqala engakuthola ukuthi kunomehluko phakathi kojekamanzi nama-damselfly. Ojekamanzi banamandla okundiza futhi ngokuvamile bakhulu, kanti ama-damselfly—njengoba negama lawo lisikisela—ayashelela futhi andiza ngokwesaba. Umehluko oyinhloko usendleleni ezimisa ngayo izimpiko zawo. Ujekamanzi ozihlalele ngokuvamile uyazivula izimpiko zawo ezine, kanti i-damselfly iyazigoqa zihlangane phezu komzimba wayo.a

Ngaqala ukuzibuza ukuthi ojekamanzi bababamba kanjani omiyane emoyeni kalula kangaka. Mina ngokwami ngikuthola kunzima ukushaya impukane enkulu ehleli odongeni lwasekhishini. Ngazibuza, ‘Yini lena ujekamanzi anayo mina engingenayo?’ Izinto ezimbili: ukukwazi ukwenza izinto emoyeni kanye namehlo angenza umlindi abe nomona.

Ukundiza Kukajekamanzi

Ukubiza ujekamanzi ngokuthi indiza enophephela emhlane—igama ovame ukubizwa ngalo eSpain—ngempela kuwukufanisa okujivazayo. Imigilingwane yabo emoyeni ishesha kangangokuthi ngezinye izikhathi iso alikwazi ukubalandela. Ngesikhashana nje, ezinye izinhlobo zingafinyelela ijubane lamakhilomitha angu-96 ngehora. Bayakwazi nokuma emoyeni noma bandizele emuva, phambili, noma emaceleni ngokuphazima kweso. Ngaphezu kwalokho, lapho ujekamanzi ujika emoyeni, ososayensi bathi kumelwe ukwazi ukumelana namandla angaba ngu-2,5 G.

Ojekamanzi banezimpiko ezine, ezithambile, ezilula. Nakuba lezi zimpiko zibukeka zintekenteke, zingabhakuza izikhathi ezingaba ngu-40 ngomzuzwana futhi zingalimali kakhulu lapho zishayeka. Isazi semvelo uRobin J. Wootton uzichaza ngokuthi “ziwubuciko obuncane bomklamo owubuchwepheshe.”

Uyenezela: “Lapho sikuqonda kangcono ukusebenza kwezimpiko zezinambuzane, ubuhle bazo nobuchwepheshe bokwakheka kwazo bubonakala nakangcono. . . . Zimbalwa izinto ezifana nazo kwezobuchwepheshe, uma zikhona.” Akumangalisi ukuthi njengamanje onjiniyela bezinto ezindiza emoyeni batadisha amaqhinga okundiza kajekamanzi.

Ikhanda Eligcwele Amehlo

Uma ukundiza kukajekamanzi kuyinto eyisimanga, kunjalo nangamehlo awo. Amehlo amabili amakhulu acishe alimboze ikhanda lawo. Ngalinye lalamehlo linezingcezwana ezinezinhlangothi eziyisithupha ezingaba ngu-30 000 ezifana namehlo amancane asesweni, ngoba ngalunye luyisa umfanekiso ohlukile ebuchosheni. Nokho, lokhu akusho ukuthi ujekamanzi ubona izinkulungwane zemifanekiso engefani ngesikhathi esisodwa. Kunokuba ubone umfanekiso ophelele, njengathi, ukwazi ukuzwa ukunyakaza, indlela yokwakheka, umehluko wokukhanya nendlela izinto ezime ngayo.

Yonke leyo mifanekiso kudingeka ihlaziywe. Ngakho, amaphesenti angu-80 obuchopho bukajekamanzi asetshenziselwa ukuhlaziya lokho akubonayo. Zimbalwa izimiso zokubona ezikwazi ukubona into ekude ngalendlela—ujekamanzi ukwazi ukubona umiyane oqhele ngamamitha angu-20. Ngisho sekuhwalele, lapho ukukhanya kufiphele kangangokuba nomuntu akaziboni izimpukane ezincane, ojekamanzi basezindaweni ezishisayo bazibona kalula.

Ukundiza kukajekamanzi ngokushesha nangokushwibeka ohlazeni olungasemfuleni kudinga kwenziwe amakhulu ezinqumo ngokuphazima kweso. Uyakwazi ukwenza lomsebenzi omangalisa kangaka ngoba ukwazi ukubona imifanekiso ecacile engaba ikhulu ngomzuzwana, izikhathi ezingaphezu kweziyisihlanu kunesikwazi ukukwenza thina. Ngakho, ifilimu, eveza imifanekiso engu-24 ngomzuzwana, ingabonakala njengohide lwezithombe ezinganyakazi kujekamanzi.

Ukushintsha Kwendlela Yokuphila

Lapho ujekamanzi uqala ukuphila kwawo, kusuke kungekho zinkomba zokuthi uzokwazi ukundiza kahle kangaka ekugcineni. Ngemva kokuchamuselwa, isibungu sasemanzini sihlala echibini noma emfudlaneni singanyakazi, silindele ukubamba noma yini edliwayo esondelayo. Ngemva kokwebuza kaningi—okuthatha izinyanga eziningana noma ngisho neminyaka kwezinye izinhlobo—isibungu siyaphuma sihlale emhlangeni. Lapho, kwenzeka izinguquko ezingavamile.

Isikhumba siyavuleka ngasesiswini, bese kuphuma ujekamanzi osukhulile. Njengovemvane, lona osukhulile osanda kuphuma kumelwe ulinde amahora ambalwa ngaphambi kokuba izimpiko zawo ziqine futhi uqale ukuphila okusha. Ngezinsuku ezingengaki, ukuhlakanipha kwawo okungokomzwelo wemvelo kuwenza ukwazi ukuzingela ngempumelelo futhi ufunde imigilingwane yokundiza.

Ngokushesha ujekamanzi omncane uba ingcweti yokubamba izimpukane nomiyane undiza. Njengoba udla izinambuzane ezingangesisindo sawo usuku ngalunye, wenza inkonzo ebalulekile. Ukuze baqikelele ukuthi ukudla kuyatholakala njalo, ojekamanzi abaningi bezinduna bagodla izindawo ezincane, bazigade.

Ezinye izinhlobo zojekamanzi zizingela izintwala zemithi noma izinkubabulongwe, ezinye zibamba amaxoxo amancane, kanti olunye uhlobo lwe-damselfly lwasendaweni eshisayo ludla ngisho nezicabucabu. Lundiza luzungeze ulwembu lwesicabucabu esikhulu sohlobo lwe-orb futhi lubambe izicabucabu ezincane ezivakashela ulwembu zizofuna izimvuthu zokudla ezishiywa umnikazi wolwembu.

UbuFakazi Obuphikisa Ukuziphendukela Kwemvelo

Ososayensi abaningi bokuziphendukela kwemvelo bathi ojekamanzi izinambuzane zokuqala ezindizayo. Umvubukulo owatholwa eFrance oqopheke edwaleni owezimpiko zikajekamanzi owawunezimpiko ezingamasentimitha angu-75! Uyisinambuzane esikhulu kunazo zonke kwezaziwayo, mkhulu ngokuphindwe kathathu kunanoma imuphi ujekamanzi ophilayo.

Ngazibuza, ‘Kungenzeka kanjani ukuthi enye yezinto enesimiso esiyinkimbinkimbi kangaka sokundiza esaziwa umuntu imane nje izivelele, izikhulele?’ “Ayikho imivubukulo yezinambuzane ephakathi kwezingenazimpiko nezinezimpiko,” kuvuma incwadi ethi Alien Empire—An Exploration of the Lives of Insects. Kusobala ukuthi ojekamanzi bawumsebenzi wezandla woMklami Oyingcweti ohlakaniphile.

Ojekamanzi baye bakha ngempumelelo cishe kuzo zonke izingxenye zomhlaba. Bazitholela indawo yokuhlala eduze nechibi elisendaweni eneqhwa, ixhaphozi elisendaweni eshisayo noma idamu lokubhukuda elisedolobheni.

Ngiye ngabuka ifu lojekamanzi ogwini lolwandle olushisayo e-Afrika kanye nama-emperor dragonfly anesizungu ezungeza ichibi lawo alithandayo laseYurophu. Futhi lapho ngigwedla emfuleni onezihlahla ePhilippines, ama-damselfly amahle ayangiphelezela, aze ehle ngezingalo zami ezingambathiswe lutho.

Nakuba ojekamanzi bengaba phakathi kwemishini endizayo eseqophelweni eliphezulu emhlabeni, okuye kwangihlaba umxhwele ukuphiqilika nobuhle babo kunamakhono abo okundiza. Ukuba khona kwabo kwenezela ubuhle emachibini ethu nasosebeni lwemifula. Bangamagugu angempela—ahlale ekhona ukuze ajatshulelwe.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Izithombe ekhasini 16, 17]

Ojekamanzi abavula izimpiko lapho behlezi, ngokuvamile bakhulu kunama-“damselfly,” agoqa izimpiko zawo zihlangane phezu komzimba wawo