英语听力：探索发现 2012-12-19 冰河新新州 Ice Age Oasis—3（在线收听） |
This creates steam in oasis and a profusion of life. Today, these warm springs are a refuge for one of Florida's most tropical inhabitants. The West Indian Manatee wasn't present during the last ice age, but returned here as the waters warmed up. Even now, it is only found around this subtropical tip of the continent. But these springs aren't just a haven for modern day wildlife. They've also yielded many secrets of the distant past.
When these pools were first explored, they would have looked like this, strewn with astonishing fossil remains from ice age beasts.
Florida has one of the richest fossil records of the ice age anywhere on earth. So what kind of creatures did such bones and skulls belong to? And how did these springs become their graveyards?
Many of the fossils are from animals that you can still see today. Indeed, we've recognized the vast majority of Florida's ice age wildlife. Nevertheless, the most spectacular ice age beast did become extinct. And remarkably, some of them share a common ancestor with modern manatees. |
| 原文地址：http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/yytltsfx/2012/245001.html |