纪录片《恐龙的战争》 完美捕食（9）

A scan of a Deinonychus skull¹ reveals a brain with an oversized optic nerve,

对恐爪龙头骨的扫描显示，它们的大脑有极大的视神经，

the nerve which transmits visual information from the eyes.

这种神经能够传输从眼部来的视觉信息。

The optic nerve is very large, too, and the eye socket² is very large.

视神经很大，眼窝也很大。

It's like having a broadband connection between the eyes and the brain.

这就好像从眼到大脑架起了宽带连接。

This high-speed link means Deinonychus can react quickly to even subtle changes in its environment.

这种高速连接意味着即使环境中发生微小变化，恐爪龙也能迅速做出反应。

If we look at the Deinonychus eye it's probably gonna be about an inch across,

如果我们仔细观察恐爪龙的眼睛，会看到一个差不多一英寸的通道，

a lot of space in there for photoreceptors. It could see well at night.

它给光感受器提供了大量空间。即使深夜也能看清。

It would have just a superb sense of sight.

它有着极其敏锐的视觉。

Unlike a mammal, Deinonychus has no blood vessels³ in its retina,

与哺乳动物不同，恐爪龙的视网膜中没有血管，

what we see as red-eye in flash photographs.

就如同用闪光灯时的红眼效果。

This simple design change creates space for many more rods and cones⁴...

这种简单的设计改变为更多视柱细胞和视锥细胞提供了空间...

more than twice the number of photoreceptors found in the human retina.

光感受器数量是人体视网膜的两倍。

And the additional rods means Deinonychus can see in the dark.

而额外的视柱细胞意味着恐爪龙在夜间有良好的视力。

It's as if looks through night-vision googles.

就好像带着夜视镜一样。

This animal had very sensitive vision being able to actually discriminate⁵ objects with great clarity and acute vision.

这种动物的视觉十分敏锐，它能运用敏锐的视觉清晰地辨别不同物体。

These are the characteristics of alpha or apex⁶ hunter...

这些都是顶级猎者应该具备的特点...

Yet highly advanced senses aren't their only weapon.

然而高度发达的感官并非它们唯一的武器。

Deinonychus is agile⁷ and can reach speeds of 60 kilometers per hour. And, it has almost-perfect balance.

恐爪龙行动敏捷时度可以达到60公里。而且，它拥有近乎完美的平衡能力。

It would have been swift.

它行动敏捷。

It would have been swifter than a human being certainly, but its real ability would have been agility⁸.

肯定比人类敏捷，但它真正的能力肯定还是敏捷。

It's a sort of animal that could probably turn on a dime⁹.

这种动物能在极小的地方灵活转弯。

These Olympic capabilities¹⁰ come down to one simple anatomical feature...its tail.

这种非凡的能力归根结底依赖于一个简单的结构特征——它的尾巴。

Half the length of its body, it acts like a built-in counterbalance.

它的尾巴达到身体总长的一半，起到了内置平衡力的作用。

By flicking¹¹ it from side to side, it can make a sharp turn at full speed.

通过尾巴的摇摆，它可以在全速状态下进行急转弯。

If you were to look at Deinonychus in slow motion, chasing after a prey¹² item,

如果在慢镜头中观察恐爪龙追逐猎物，

it would look a lot like a big cat today.

你会发现它与现今的猫科动物很像。

If the prey item tries to dart¹³ away, it turns even faster,

如果猎物想要逃离，它转弯的速度会更快，

and it's swinging its tail off to the side and can cut it off and intercept¹⁴ that prey item as it's trying to get away.

它把尾巴摆到一端截击并阻拦试图逃跑的猎物。

Put all these together...speed, agility, a powerful sense of smell.

综合这些因素——速度、敏捷、强大的嗅觉，

and a young Sauroposeidon, even an animal nearly a ton in weight, might just be staring death in the face,

而对于体重接近一吨的波塞东龙的幼崽，也许摆在它们面前的只有死亡，

particularly if there's more than one Deinonychus in pursuit.

尤其是当不止一只恐爪龙在追逐它们时。

1 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

2 socket   

n.窝，穴，孔，插座，插口

参考例句：

• He put the electric plug into the socket.他把电插头插入插座。
• The battery charger plugs into any mains socket.这个电池充电器可以插入任何类型的电源插座。

3 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 cones   

n.（人眼）圆锥细胞；圆锥体( cone的名词复数 )；球果；圆锥形东西；（盛冰淇淋的）锥形蛋卷筒

参考例句：

• In the pines squirrels commonly chew off and drop entire cones. 松树上的松鼠通常咬掉和弄落整个球果。 来自辞典例句
• Many children would rather eat ice cream from cones than from dishes. 许多小孩喜欢吃蛋卷冰淇淋胜过盘装冰淇淋。 来自辞典例句

5 discriminate   

v.区别，辨别，区分；有区别地对待

参考例句：

• You must learn to discriminate between facts and opinions.你必须学会把事实和看法区分出来。
• They can discriminate hundreds of colours.他们能分辨上百种颜色。

6 apex   

n.顶点，最高点

参考例句：

• He reached the apex of power in the early 1930s.他在三十年代初达到了权力的顶峰。
• His election to the presidency was the apex of his career.当选总统是他一生事业的顶峰。

7 agile   

adj.敏捷的，灵活的

参考例句：

• She is such an agile dancer!她跳起舞来是那么灵巧！
• An acrobat has to be agile.杂技演员必须身手敏捷。

8 agility   

n.敏捷，活泼

参考例句：

• The boy came upstairs with agility.那男孩敏捷地走上楼来。
• His intellect and mental agility have never been in doubt.他的才智和机敏从未受到怀疑。

9 dime   

n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角

参考例句：

• A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
• The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。

10 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

11 flicking   

（尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的现在分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等）

参考例句：

• He helped her up before flicking the reins. 他帮她上马，之后挥动了缰绳。
• There's something flicking around my toes. 有什么东西老在叮我的脚指头。

12 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。

13 dart   

v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲

参考例句：

• The child made a sudden dart across the road.那小孩突然冲过马路。
• Markov died after being struck by a poison dart.马尔科夫身中毒镖而亡。

14 intercept   

vt.拦截，截住，截击

参考例句：

• His letter was intercepted by the Secret Service.他的信被特工处截获了。
• Gunmen intercepted him on his way to the airport.持枪歹徒在他去机场的路上截击了他。