VOA慢速英语--科学家首次发现暴龙宝宝遗骸

For the first time, scientists have found the remains¹ of babies from the group of meat-eating dinosaurs³ that includes Tyrannosaurus rex.

Researchers said recently that the jaw⁴ and claw bones show that the large babies looked a lot like adults and were "born ready" to hunt.

The bones, also called fossils, represented two species from the group called tyrannosaurs. Tyrannosaurs were the top hunters in Asia and North America toward the end of the dinosaur² age.

The bones suggested that these babies were bigger than any other known dinosaur babies. They were probably around one meter long. They came from what must have been very large eggs, perhaps larger than the largest dinosaur eggs currently known, which are about 43 centimeters.

The jawbone is around 77 million years old and about 3 centimeters in length. It was found in Montana and may belong to a species called Daspletosaurus.

The claw is around 72 million years old. It came from Canada and may belong to a species called Albertosaurus.

Both of these species are believed to be smaller cousins of Tyrannosaurus rex. The largest known tyrannosaurs were over 12 meters long.

Greg Funston of the University of Edinburgh was the lead writer of the research that appeared in the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. He said the scientists were surprised at how similar the bones were to older tyrannosaurs. Funston noted⁵ that the jaws⁶ had working teeth.

"So although we can't get a complete picture, what we can see looks very similar to the adults," he said.

It appears that tyrannosaurs, Funston added, were "born ready to hunt, already possessing some of the key adaptations that gave tyrannosaurs their powerful bites."

Adaptation is a term that means a change in an animal that makes it better able to live in a particular place or situation.

Funston said it was "likely" that the baby tyrannosaurs "were capable of hunting fairly quickly after birth, but we need more fossils to tell exactly how fast that was."

Words in This Story

jaw – n. either one of the two bones of the face where teeth grow

claw – n. a sharp curved part on the toe of an animal (such as a cat or bird)

species – n. biology : a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants : a group of related animals or plants that is smaller than a genus

capable – adj. having the ability to do or have something

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 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。

3 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。