Lapho “Umfundisi Omncane” Ebuyela Ekhaya

NGUMLOBELI WE-PHAPHAMA! ECANADA

INTWASAHLOBO ngayinye, ngemva kwezinyanga ezingu-7 noma ezingu-8 zokuzulazula olwandle, i-puffin ibuyela ekhaya ezilwandle zase-Arctic. Sekuyisikhathi sokuzalela, futhi i-puffin ibonakala ivunule ngezingubo ezifanele lesi senzakalo. Yebo, izinyawo zayo sezishintshe zaba nombala ogqame ngokusawolintshi, futhi uqhwaku lwayo selunongqimba olumibalabala, olusukayo kamuva. Unyaka wonke izimpaphe ziba nemibala egqamile omnyama nomhlophe, futhi lokhu kwenza i-puffin ibukeke njengomfundisi. Mhlawumbe lokhu kuchaza igama elingokwesayensi le-puffin yase-Atlantic elithi Fratercula arctica, elisho ukuthi “indela noma umfundisi omncane wasenyakatho.”a

Ama-puffin abhekisa amabombo ezidlekeni zawo ezisohlangothini lwewa ehamba ngamaqembu amancane abizwa ngokuthi ama-raft, ngalinye elinezinyoni ezingaba ngu-20 noma 30. I-puffin ithola umngane phakathi nololu hambo noma lapho ifika ezidlekeni. Ngokuthakazelisayo, ama-puffin amaningi asebenzisa isidleke esifanayo—futhi ahamba nomngane ofanayo—minyaka yonke.

Ama-puffin ayakwazi ukundiza, kodwa ngokusobala awabona “abandizi” abangcono kakhulu emhlabeni. Eqinisweni, ukufika kwawo osebeni lolwandle kufana nokuphahlazeka kwendiza! Ngaphezu kwalokho, ngandlela-thile ukundiza kwe-puffin kunobudlabha, futhi ngezinye izikhathi kubonakala sengathi amaphiko ale nyoni ngeke akwazi ukuthwala umzimba wayo omkhulu. Amanye ama-puffin aba nenkinga yokuphuma emanzini. Kodwa uma lawo maphiko esebhakuza—izikhathi ezingaba ngu-400 ngomzuzu—i-puffin ingafinyelela isivinini sokuntweza emoyeni esingamakhilomitha angu-80 ngehora.

Kuyakhanya ukuthi ama-puffin ahlala ngokunethezeka lapho esolwandle kunalapho esezweni. Kodwa kudingekile ukuba ahlale ezweni, ngoba umbhangqwana wama-puffin kudingeka ulungiselele isidleke sabantwana bawo. Lapho ufika ezweni, lo mbhangqwana ulungisa isidleke sawo, esingaba amasentimitha angu-50 ubukhulu kuya cishe kwesinobukhulu obuphindwe kane. Esidlekeni undlala utshani, amagatsha nezimpaphe. Amanye ama-puffin afukamela emifantwini ngaphansi kwamatshe noma ematsheni aqhekekile. Isebenzisa uqhwaku lwayo, i-puffin iqhwanda udoti futhi iwukhiphe ngezinyawo zayo ezinolwebu.

Ukushelana kombhangqwana wama-puffin kwenzeka emanzini. Phakathi nalesi senzakalo amaduna anqekuzisa amakhanda awo, afuthe izifuba, abhakuzise amaphiko futhi imibhangqwana ingqofane ngoqhwaku ngokuphindaphindiwe. Lo mkhuba wamuva, obizwa ngokuthi ukungqofa, uyaqhubeka ngisho nangemva kokuzalela. Ubonakala uyindlela yombhangqwana yokuqinisekisa isibopho sobuhlobo.

Ngemva kokubekelwa kweqanda, abazali balinakekela ngokoqobo—okuwumthwalo wemfanelo ohlanganyelwa ubaba nomama. Ekupheleni kwamasonto ayisithupha, lapho iphuphu selichanyuselwe, kuqala umsebenzi wangempela. Iphuphu elimpunga ngokumnyama, elintekenteke, lifukanyelwa isonto lonke ukuze lingagodoli. Ama-puffin angabazali aba matasa ukuze atholele iphuphu lawo ukudla okwanele olwandle. Lezi ziwombe zokuzingela izinhlanzi aziyona ingozi enkulu, njengoba emaningi ama-puffin aphuma aye olwandle futhi abuyele ezidlekeni zawo. Kubonakala sengathi lesi siyaluyalu senza kube nzima ngama-gull nezinye izilwane ezidla ezinye ukuba zihlasele.

Ama-puffin angababhukudi nabatshuzi abangochwepheshe. Esebenzisa imilenze yawo enolwebu njengeziqondiso namaphiko awo ukuze antweze, angakwazi ukuhlala ngaphansi kwamanzi isikhathi esingaphezu kwemizuzwana engu-30, ekujuleni okufinyelela cishe emamitheni angu-30. I-puffin ingase ibuyele ekhaya nenhlanzi eyodwa noma ezimbili—mhlawumbe ama-capelin noma ama-sand lance—izibambe ngoqhwaku lwayo. Ngokuqinisekile, uma kuyizinhlanzi ezincane, i-puffin ingakwazi ukubamba eziningi ngomlomo wayo. Enye yake yabonakala iphethe ezingaphezu kuka-60! Amathambo amancane asameva abheke emuva emlonyeni wayo enza ukuba i-puffin ikwazi ukubamba inhlanzi inganyakazi lapho isazingela ezinye. Lokhu kuwusizo kakhulu, uma ucabanga ukuthi iphuphu le-puffin lingadla izinhlanzi ezingu-50 ngosuku.

Cishe ngemva kwamasonto ayisithupha, ama-puffin angabazali abuyela olwandle. Iphuphu le-puffin, manje eselisele lodwa, linciphisa umzimba lilungiselela ukushiya isidleke. Kusihlwa livocavoca amaphiko. Ekugcineni, ezinzulwini zobusuku, le puffin iyagijima ibheke olwandle futhi ingene emanzini ngokushesha.

Kuthatha iminyaka emibili kuya kwemithathu ngaphambi kokuba i-puffin esencane ibuyele lapho yazalelwa khona, futhi kuyodlula iminyaka emine kuya kwemihlanu ngaphambi kokuba izalele. Mhlawumbe i-puffin esikhule ngokwanele iyoba nesisindo esingaphezudlwana kwamagremu angu-490 futhi ibe ngamasentimitha angu-30 ukuphakama. Nakuba incane, i-puffin enempilo ingaphila cishe iminyaka engu-25. I-puffin ethile yase-Atlantic yaphila yaze yaba neminyaka engu-39!

Ochwepheshe balinganisela ukuthi inani lama-puffin ase-Atlantic liyizigidi ezingu-20. Kuyathakazelisa ukubuka lezi zinyoni. “Ngisho noma i-puffin yenza into evamile iyathakazelisa,” kubhala uDavid Boag noMike Alexander encwadini yabo ethi The Atlantic Puffin. Futhi uma uhlala enyakatho eduze nogu lolwandle lwe-Atlantic noma iPacific, mhlawumbe uyowabona. Kunoma ikuphi, qiniseka ngento eyodwa—njalo entwasahlobo, “umfundisi omncane wasenyakatho” uyobuyela ekhaya, futhi kuyozalwa isizukulwane esisha sezinyoni zasolwandle esinezimpaphe ezimnyama.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Isithombe ekhasini 15]

Ama-“puffin” eWitless Bay, eNewfoundland

[Umthombo]

Courtesy: Tourism, Newfoundland and Labrador; photographer: Barrett and Mackay

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 14]

Courtesy: Tourism, Newfoundland and Labrador

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 15]

Tom Veso/Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology