纪录片《恐龙的战争》 繁衍生息（7）

Eating lots in springtime is crucial.

在春季，大吃特吃是很重要的。

That's when protein in plants is more available and easier to digest.

那时的植物含有更多的蛋白质且更易于吸收。

Calcium¹ is not very abundant in a lot of plants, and so you have to eat a lot.

大部分植物的含钙量不是很高，所以你就得吃很多。

You have to focus on high-quality foods, high-quality plants...

你必须要专吃那些高质量的食物高质量的植物，

the buds, the shoots, the young leaves...to try to get those minerals, those nutrients² to build the babies.

如嫩芽，嫩枝，嫩叶等来得到这些矿物质，这些用来孕育小恐龙的营养物质。

With Sauroposeidon's voracious³ appetite, tiny amounts of calcium add up.

波塞东恐龙很贪食，钙元素在体内积少成多。

Bit by bit, it's all stored in her bones...specifically, medullary bone.

一点一点地，储存在骨头里，确切地说，在髓骨里。

Medullary bone is very special bone that's laid down only by an ovulating female.

髓骨是一种很独特的骨头，只有排卵期的雌性恐龙才有。

And it's laid down to gather together calcium for calcium-carbonate eggshells that they are making during ovulation.

它储存和积累钙元素，用于形成排卵期间由碳酸钙构成的蛋壳。

Medullary is a layer of bone which lines the interior of leg bones. It has no structural⁴ purpose.

髓骨是排列在腿骨的内部的一层骨头。它没有结构上的用途。

Instead, it's a mobile store for calcium and other minerals required to make eggshells.

相反，这还是个移动的储存点来给储存形成蛋壳所需要的钙和其他矿物质。

Once stored in medullary bone, calcium and minerals can easily be broken down and sent to where it's needed.

一旦贮存在髓骨里钙和矿物质很容易被分解，并且被输送到需要它的地方。

So you're looking at the unfolding,

你观察一下这种演变，

the unpacking⁵ of something that starts out as a single cell into an animal that's almost the size of a whale,

它由一个单细胞开始发展成一个跟鲸差不多尺寸的动物，

and it has to come off without a hitch⁶.

还得顺利地活下来。

In Sauroposeidon, evolution has favored something else as well...

对于波塞东龙来说进化也同样是有利的，

the production of a tremendous number of eggs every year.

它们每年产出数量庞大的恐龙蛋。

And every one of those eggs takes resources.

每一枚蛋都在汲取着营养。

After mating, a female Sauroposeidon is now starting to grow the eggs inside of her, and eggs are expensive.

交配过后，雌波塞东龙体内就开始有蛋长出来，这些蛋很珍贵。

They're protein and fat and calcium...calcium for the bones of the embryo⁷, eventually, calcium for the shell of the egg.

里面有蛋白质，脂肪和钙元素钙元素用于胚胎骨骼的发育到最后，钙质是为了形成蛋壳。

A single Sauroposeidon lays hundreds of eggs each season,

每只波塞冬龙每个季节产好几百个蛋，

but many are eaten before they hatch, and most hatchlings are devoured⁸ by hungry carnivores.

但是很多都在还没孵化前就被吃了，而且孵化出来的小恐龙大多也被饥饿的食肉动物吞食。

Tyrannosaurus Rex, on the other hand, has evolved into something entirely⁹ different.

而霸王龙已经进化得完全不同。

These powerful meat eaters are intelligent and well armed.

这些强壮的食肉动物非常聪明并且全副武装。

They are killers¹⁰ and scavengers.

它们既是杀手也是食腐动物。

A female ready to pass on her genes¹¹ is on the lookout¹² for a male with huge jaws¹³,

雌性霸王龙准备延续后代时，

a powerful grip, and a mouthful of steel-tough teeth.

会把目光放在寻找有巨大双颚咬力惊人和铁齿铜牙的雄性上。

1 calcium   

n.钙(化学符号Ca)

参考例句：

• We need calcium to make bones.我们需要钙来壮骨。
• Calcium is found most abundantly in milk.奶含钙最丰富。

2 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 voracious   

adj.狼吞虎咽的，贪婪的

参考例句：

• She's a voracious reader of all kinds of love stories.什么样的爱情故事她都百看不厌。
• Joseph Smith was a voracious book collector.约瑟夫·史密斯是个如饥似渴的藏书家。

4 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

5 unpacking   

n.取出货物，拆包[箱]v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的现在分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等）

参考例句：

• Joe sat on the bed while Martin was unpacking. 马丁打开箱子取东西的时候，乔坐在床上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They are unpacking a trunk. 他们正在打开衣箱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 hitch   

v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉

参考例句：

• They had an eighty-mile journey and decided to hitch hike.他们要走80英里的路程，最后决定搭便车。
• All the candidates are able to answer the questions without any hitch.所有报考者都能对答如流。

7 embryo   

n.胚胎，萌芽的事物

参考例句：

• They are engaging in an embryo research.他们正在进行一项胚胎研究。
• The project was barely in embryo.该计划只是个雏形。

8 devoured   

吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光

参考例句：

• She devoured everything she could lay her hands on: books, magazines and newspapers. 无论是书、杂志，还是报纸，只要能弄得到，她都看得津津有味。
• The lions devoured a zebra in a short time. 狮子一会儿就吃掉了一匹斑马。

9 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

10 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

11 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

12 lookout   

n.注意，前途，瞭望台

参考例句：

• You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
• It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来，公司的前景可就不妙了。

13 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。