VOA慢速英语2020 2500万年前，巨型有袋动物生活在澳大利亚（在线收听）

Scientists say a relative of modern wombats, about the size of a black bear, lived in central Australia around 25 million years ago.

科学家称，大约2500万年前，现代袋熊的一种近亲生活在澳大利亚中部，其体型与黑熊相仿。 

Fossils of the creatures head and other bones were discovered in 1973, under Lake Pinpa, a dry, salt lake in South Australia state.

1973年，人们在南澳大利亚州Pinpa湖，一个干燥的盐湖的湖底发现了这种生物的头部化石和其他骨骼化石。

The fossils were housed in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and went unstudied for years.

这些化石被收藏在纽约市的美国自然历史博物馆，多年来无人研究。 

Robin Beck, a professor at the University of Salford in Britain, led the research, which appeared in the publication Scientific Reports.

英国索尔福德大学教授罗宾·贝克领导了这项研究，研究结果发表在《科学报告》上。 

"It may have looked a bit wombat-like, but with a smaller head," Beck said.

贝克说：“它看起来可能有点像袋熊，只是头小一些。” 

He said the animals also had longer tails and strong legs.

他说，这些动物尾巴较长，腿部强壮。 

The researchers named the plant-eating mammal Mukupirna nambensis.

研究人员将这种食草哺乳动物命名为Mukupirna nambensis。 

The name means big bones in the local Aboriginal language.

在当地土著语言中，这个名字的意思是大骨头。 

The shape of the creatures hands and forelimbs suggest it was a skillful and powerful digger, scientists say.

科学家说，这种生物的手和前肢的形状表明它是一种熟练而有力的挖掘者。 

Mukupirna is one of the earliest-known large-bodied Australian marsupials, the report said.

报道称，Mukupirna是澳大利亚已知最早的大型有袋动物之一。 

Its discovery helps explain the development of a marsupial group called vombatiforms.

它的发现有助于解释一种被称为vombatiforms的有袋目动物的发展。 

The group includes wombats as well as koalas.

其中包括袋熊和考拉。 

Marsupials are mammals that give birth to less developed young that are carried and fed in a pouch on the mothers body.

有袋动物是一种哺乳动物，产下发育不完全的幼仔，由母亲身体上的育儿袋携带和喂养。 

They were the common mammals found across Australia following the end of dinosaurs.

它们是在恐龙灭绝后在澳大利亚常见的哺乳动物。 

Other mammals, like cats, dogs, elephants, apes, horses, developed more commonly on the other continents.

其他哺乳动物，如猫，狗，大象，猿，马，更常见于其他大陆。 

Mukupirna was not a direct ancestor of wombats but a close relative.

Mukupirna不是袋熊的直系祖先，而是它的近亲。 

At about 150 kilograms, it was about five times the size of modern wombats.

它重约150公斤，是现代袋熊的五倍大。 

Beck said in a news release Mukupirna "probably lived in an open forest environment without grasses,

贝克在一份新闻稿中说，Mukupirna“很可能生活在没有草的开阔森林环境中， 

and developed teeth that would have allowed it to feed on sedges, roots, and tubers that it could have dug up with its powerful front legs."

长出的牙齿可以让它吃到莎草、根和块茎，这些都是它用有力的前腿挖出来的。” 

"It is a very unusual animal," he added.

“这是一种非常不寻常的动物，”他补充道。 

In fact, researchers identified Mukupirna as its own animal family.

事实上，研究人员确认Mukupirna是它自己动物科的一员。 

Mike Archer is a professor at the University of New South Wales, Australia.

麦克·阿彻是澳大利亚新南威尔士大学的教授。 

He helped write the report on the Mukupirna.

他帮助撰写了关于Mukupirna的报告。 

He was also among the scientists that discovered the bones almost 50 years ago.

他也是近50年前发现这些骨头的科学家之一。 

He said the find was extremely lucky.

他说这次发现非常幸运。 

Normally, Lake Pinpa is covered with sands from nearby hills.

通常，Pinpa湖被附近山上的沙子覆盖着。 

"But because of rare environmental conditions" before the team arrived, he said, the fossil-rich surface was on full show.

“但由于罕见的环境条件”，他说，在团队到达之前，富含化石的表面已经充分展示出来。 

Archer described the unexpected sight as "breathtaking."

阿彻将这一意想不到的景象描述为“叹为观止”。 

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