侏罗纪搏击俱乐部 第156期:让对手失血而亡

 　　In order to understand the hunting methods of Albertosaurus, paleontologists compared its brain design to that of modern animals.

　　为了了解阿尔伯特龙的狩猎方式，古生物学家将其脑部构造与现代动物进行比较。

　　The brain structure of Albertosaurus shows that the cerebrum, the higher centers of the brain associated with sort of cognition and problem solving, they're not tremendously large.

　　阿尔伯特龙的脑部结构表明它的大脑，脑部与认知力和解决问题能力相关的高级中枢，它们并不太大。

　　We can look at animals today such as crocodilians or some of the predatory lizards² today like Monitor lizards that also don't really have particularly large cerebral³ hemispheres, yet they're capable of a variety of different kind of hunting styles.

　　我们可以看看如今的动物，比如说鳄鱼或是一些现代的掠食性蜥蜴，像是巨蜥，它们也没有非常膨大的大脑半球，但是却有能力采用一系列不同的狩猎方式。

　　So it apparently⁴ doesn't take that much brain power to be a good predator¹.

　　所以要成为优秀的掠食者，并不需要很强的脑力。

　　The brain structure of Albertosaurus would tell us it was able to do ambush⁵ predation, it probably had the brain power to be a pursuit predator.

　　阿尔伯特龙的脑部结构告诉我们它能够进行伏击掠食，它很可能有足够的脑力成为追击掠食者。

　　In other words, it could chase after its prey⁶.

　　换句话说，它能够追逐猎物。

　　Albertosaurus had an "S" shaped neck that allowed it to snap at its prey like a striking snake.

　　阿尔伯特龙有S型的脖子，让它能够像出击的蛇一样咬住猎物。

　　In a fight, what it would do is it would face its attacker and rush in head first with those massive teeth and grabs its prey, and rip a huge chunk⁷ out of it.

　　在打斗中，它就会面向其攻击者迎头猛冲过去，用那些巨大的牙齿咬住猎物，然后撕下一大块。

　　He's not interested in wrestling with you, he simply wants to inflict⁸ an injury and let you bleed to death.

　　它对跟对手角力没有兴趣，它只是想留下伤口让对手失血而亡。

　　By studying the site, paleontologists were able to place Albertosaurus at the scene because as it ate, it shed its teeth.

　　通过研究化石场，古生物学家们能够将阿尔伯特龙放进现场，因为它吃东西的时候会有牙齿脱落。

　　When Albertosaurus feeds, often times when it reaches the bone, it can break off a tooth.

　　当阿尔伯特龙进食时，吃到骨头的时候往往会有牙齿断落。

　　We call those teeth "shed teeth", meaning they're shed during the feeding process.

　　我们称之为“蜕齿”，说明它们是在进食过程中脱落的。

　　Any time you find shed teeth at a site where there's plant eater bones, it's a very clear indication that a meat eater was chewing on the bones.

　　植食动物骨头出土的地方只要发现蜕齿，就很清楚地表明了有肉食动物咬到了骨头。

　　We don't find the meat eater's bones because it didn't die there.It fed and moved on.

　　我们没找到肉食动物的骨头是因为它们不是在那里死去的。它吃过就离开了。

　　All that it left as a clue is its teeth, its shed teeth.

　　留下的所有证据就是它的牙齿，它脱落的牙齿。

　　Scientists also believe that Albertosaurus fed on the members of the herd⁹ soon after they died and were washed up on shore.

　　科学家们还相信阿尔伯特龙在这群恐龙成员死掉被冲上岸后很快便以它们为食。

　　When we have this mass of dead bodies stinking¹⁰ up and rotting in the ancient Cretaceous sun,

　　有这么多死尸在古白垩纪的阳光下发臭腐烂，

　　that's going to attract all sorts of predators¹¹ including the top meat eater of the time - Albertosaurus.

　　会吸引来各种掠食者包括当时的顶级肉食者——阿尔伯特龙。

　　They're going to be eating and munching¹², and some of their teeth, the teeth that are about to fall out because dinosaur¹³ teeth are always being renewed throughout their lifecycle, are gonna be left in with the bones and the rotting meat of Pachyrhinosaurus.

　　它们会大快朵颐，一些牙齿就会因此脱落，恐龙在一生中会不停地更新牙齿，脱落的牙齿会留在肿鼻角龙的骨头和腐肉里。

1 predator   

n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者

参考例句：

• The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
• Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。

2 lizards   

n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nothing lives in Pompeii except crickets and beetles and lizards. 在庞培城里除了蟋蟀、甲壳虫和蜥蜴外，没有别的生物。 来自辞典例句
• Can lizards reproduce their tails? 蜥蜴的尾巴断了以后能再生吗？ 来自辞典例句

3 cerebral   

adj.脑的，大脑的；有智力的，理智型的

参考例句：

• Your left cerebral hemisphere controls the right-hand side of your body.你的左半脑控制身体的右半身。
• He is a precise,methodical,cerebral man who carefully chooses his words.他是一个一丝不苟、有条理和理智的人，措辞谨慎。

4 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

5 ambush   

n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击

参考例句：

• Our soldiers lay in ambush in the jungle for the enemy.我方战士埋伏在丛林中等待敌人。
• Four men led by a sergeant lay in ambush at the crossroads.由一名中士率领的四名士兵埋伏在十字路口。

6 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

7 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

8 inflict   

vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担

参考例句：

• Don't inflict your ideas on me.不要把你的想法强加于我。
• Don't inflict damage on any person.不要伤害任何人。

9 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

10 stinking   

adj.臭的，烂醉的，讨厌的v.散发出恶臭( stink的现在分词 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透

参考例句：

• I was pushed into a filthy, stinking room. 我被推进一间又脏又臭的屋子里。
• Those lousy, stinking ships. It was them that destroyed us. 是的！就是那些该死的蠢猪似的臭飞船！是它们毁了我们。 来自英汉非文学 - 科幻

11 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 munching   

v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was munching an apple. 他在津津有味地嚼着苹果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Munching the apple as he was, he had an eye for all her movements. 他虽然啃着苹果，但却很留神地监视着她的每一个动作。 来自辞典例句

13 dinosaur   

n.恐龙

参考例句：

• Are you trying to tell me that David was attacked by a dinosaur?你是想要告诉我大卫被一支恐龙所攻击？
• He stared at the faithful miniature of the dinosaur.他凝视著精确的恐龙缩小模型。