纪录片《恐龙的战争》 繁衍生息（14）（在线收听）

Dividing cells also form brains, sensors,

分裂的细胞也构成了大脑，

and weaponry needed to protect this dinosaur as it grows up.

感受器官以及在成长阶段保护自身的武器。

At this embryonic stage, tiny genetic differences, changes that might only affect one in a billion traits,

在胚胎期，基因的微小差异可能只会改变十亿分之一的性状，

make the difference between a hatchling that survives and one that's chomped, stepped on, or even starves to death.

但却使有的幼崽能活下来而有的则被吃掉，被踩死甚至活活饿死。

To be able to actually see a baby T. Rex hatching would be something akin to the excitement you would get by going into space.

见到霸王龙幼崽的孵化与去往太空一样令人兴奋。

So I probably would give maybe just a little more money to go into space than I would to see a T. Rex hatching, but not much more.

所以我去太空的开支只可能比看霸王龙孵化的开支多一点但也不会很多。

The age of dinosaurs is an era of sophisticated biodiversity, diversity that proves one thing...

恐龙时代是一个体现生物多样性的纪元，多样性证明了一件事

evolution creates not just one, but many strategies for survival.

进化创造的生存之路有许多条。

Yet for one creature, that strategy seems almost cruel.

然而对于个体生物，求生策略至关重要。

Over her lifetime, a female Sauroposeidon produces thousands of eggs,

雌性波塞东龙一生能产上千只蛋，

yet only two or three survive to adulthood.

然而只有两到三只能活到成年。

So what that tells us is that many, many...

那告诉我们很多很多...

almost all of the offspring are being killed and eaten by predators.

几乎全部后代都被捕食者杀死并吃掉了。

Losing virtually all of your offspring to carnivores sounds like an evolutionary nightmare.

将所有后代都拱手让给食肉动物听上去像进化史上的噩梦。

But, in fact, it's just the opposite.

但事实恰恰相反。

That one survivor, that one in 3,000,

那个幸运儿，三千分之一

may just possess the single trait giving it the ability to make a quick escape as its siblings are eaten.

可能含有单一性状使兄弟姐妹们被吃掉的时候自己能够快速逃脱。

Or it might inherit a genetic combination that allows it to grow stronger, bigger, and maybe even just a tiny bit faster.

亦或是继承了一个基因组合可以使自己更强，更庞大甚至是更快更灵活。

The Sauropods are probably digging these nests, probably kicking out a little hole with the hind foot,

波塞东龙可能只是挖下巢穴用后肢打了一个小洞蹲下，

squatting down, depositing a few eggs...maybe five or six, maybe a dozen...

产下几只蛋可能是五六个，也可能十来个把它们埋起来，

covering them up, and then just walking away, forgetting about them.

然后一走了之忘得一干二净。

For months, Sauroposeidon eggs are left unguarded, warmed and protected by nothing more than dirt and rotting vegetation.

这之后的数月，波塞东龙蛋无人守护，只能靠尘土和腐败的植物来保暖，并提供保护。

The nests become killing fields.

巢穴变成了血腥的战场。

So I'm sure that many, many Sauropod nests were found and destroyed by predators before the babies could even hatch.

所以我确信，很多波塞东龙的巢穴在幼龙没有孵化前就被捕食者发现并破坏掉了。

Yet with so much stacked against them, Sauroposeidon thrived for 15 million years.

尽管对它们来说有种种不利，但波塞东龙顽强地生存了一千五百万年。

They're an evolutionary success story.

它们堪称一部成功的进化史。

But some scientists believe they could have achieved even more.

但很多科学家相信它们能做得更好。