侏罗纪搏击俱乐部 第68期:全球气候变化是催化剂

 The Allosaurus was so focused on the fact that Camarasaurus was stuck, it wasn't in top predator¹ mode.

异特龙过于关注圆顶龙被困泥中，这一点它们没有使用顶级掠食者模式。

That meant it got in too close.

就是说它们靠得太近了。

Never in its wildest imagination would it have thought that that Camarasaurus would shift its center of gravity, free those giant front feet,

异特龙无论如何也想不到圆顶龙能够改变其重心解放出其巨大的前足，

and crush that Allosaurus like it was a bug².

像踩死虫子一样踩死这头异特龙。

Camarasaurus may have triumphed over Allosaurus here.

圆顶龙胜过了异特龙。

But in the ultimate battle for survival, they and all the other dinosaurs³ at the lake would lose.

但是在终极生存之战中它们和其它湖边的恐龙都会失败。

At the end of the Jurassic period, something big happens and it causes the extinction⁴ of a lot of different dinosaurs.

在侏罗纪时期结束时，有一个大事件导致了很多种不同恐龙走向灭绝。

Allosaurus, Camarasaurus, Stegosaurus, Ceratosaurus are victims to this unknown killer⁵.

异特龙、圆顶龙、剑龙和角鼻龙都是这一未知杀手的牺牲品。

It appears that global climate change was the catalyst⁶.

看起来全球气候变化是催化剂。

When your environment changes, you've got one of three choices you can make.

当周围环境发生改变时有三种不同选择。

You can move to a place that suits you better, you can adapt to this new environment or you die.

迁移到更适合生存的地方适应新的环境否则死亡。

Science still seeks to know more about these amazing creatures who dominated the planet one hundred and fifty million years ago.

科学界仍在努力对这些奇异的生命进行更多了解，它们在一亿五千万年前是地球的统治者。

For years now, paleontologists have noticed that there seem to be different types of Allosaurus.

多年来，古生物学家注意到了似乎有三种不同类别的异特龙。

The discussion now is are we truly seeing different kinds of species that live along side each other, the way perhaps wolves and coyotes do.

要讨论的是它们真的是不同种类在同一时期并肩生存就像如今狼和郊狼那样。

Or are we seeing instead a single species that's changing across time as the environment changes and as the animals change.

还是我们看到的是一个物种在历史上的不同阶段随着环境的变化自身产生的变化。

And that's a really interesting question if we want to understand how dinosaurs in general responded to the environment.

如果我们想要明白恐龙对环境的一般反应，那么这个问题就真的很有意思。

While the search for answers continues, this much is known: during the late Jurassic, at a dry watering hole in what became Utah, an unusually high number of predatory dinosaurs died along side of their prey⁷.

虽然我们还在寻找答案，有一点已经确认无疑：在侏罗纪晚期当时的犹他州一处干涸的水坑，异常多的掠食性恐龙与它们的猎物死在一处。

Their bones are proof of a brutal⁸ natural world where a simple drink of water could lead to a battle to the death.

它们的骨头是残暴自然世界的证据在这个世界里，一次饮水就可能引发生死大战。

1 predator   

n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者

参考例句：

• The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
• Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。

2 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

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 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

5 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

6 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。

7 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。

8 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。