侏罗纪搏击俱乐部 第122期:发现潜在的掠食者

 　　You really want to detect a predator¹ before it gets close enough for you to be able to see it and so they potentially used other senses like the sense of smell.

　　它们确实会想在掠食者靠近得能够看见之前就探测到它，所以它们潜在地使用其它感觉比如说嗅觉。

　　With its limited visual capability², Gastonia had to rely on a keen sense of smell and hearing to keep it alert of potential predators³.

　　加斯顿龙因为视觉能力有限，必须要依赖敏锐的嗅觉和听觉才能发现潜在的掠食者。

　　Based on modern animal behavior, scientists also consider an intriguing⁴ possibility of another early warning system.

　　根据现代动物行为，科学家也在考虑另一种早期预警系统有趣的可能性。

　　There are a lot of symbiotic⁵ relationships between animals today, and I have no doubt whatsoever⁶ that they existed in the past.

　　如今动物间有很多共生关系，我敢肯定过去也有这种现象。

　　Look at modern rhinos⁸.

　　比如现代犀牛。

　　They have a poor sense of vision, so they rely on birds to alert them to approaching danger.

　　它们的视力很差，所以它们依靠鸟类来警告它们有危险靠近。

　　These birds in turn are protected from their own predators by the rhino⁷.

　　这些鸟类反过来也被犀牛保护于它们自己的掠食者。

　　I think that small pterosaurs would have had the same symbiosis⁹ with Gastonia.

　　我认为小型翼龙可能会跟加斯顿龙形成同样的共生关系。

　　They would have been protected by the Gastonia, and in return, they would have warned it of potential danger.

　　它们可能被加斯顿龙保护，反过来它们警告加斯顿龙潜在的危险。

　　But with its incredible array of defensive¹⁰ armor, why would Gastonia even need an early warning system?

　　不过有了这么出色的全副护甲，为何加斯顿龙还需要预警系统呢？

　　Its only vulnerability was its underbelly which was not armored, no creature could possibly have been strong enough or clever enough to prey¹¹ on it.

　　它唯一的薄弱环节就是其没有护甲的腹部，没有哪种生物有那么壮或聪明能够捕食加斯顿龙。

　　But 50 meters away, paleontologists found fossil evidence of exactly why Gastonia would have needed an early warning system.

　　不过50米开外，古生物学家发现的化石证据说明了，加斯顿龙究竟为什么需要预警系统。

　　In 1989, near the town of Moab in Utah, dinosaur¹² hunter Robert Gaston discovered the remains¹³ of Gastonia, an armored dinosaur from the early Cretaceous.

　　1989年，在犹他州摩押镇附近，恐龙猎人罗伯特·加斯顿发现一头加斯顿龙的残骸，这是白垩纪早期的一种有甲恐龙。

　　He had no idea that lying nearby was a second species, unknown to modern science.

　　他根本不知道另一个不为现代科学所知的物种就在不远处。

　　Only this one was a predator.

　　只不过这是一个掠食者。

　　And scientists would soon discover this was no ordinary killer¹⁴.

　　科学家们很快就会发现这不是普通杀手。

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 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

3 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 intriguing   

adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心

参考例句：

• These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
• It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 symbiotic   

adj.共栖的，共生的

参考例句：

• Racing has always had a symbiotic relationship with betting.赛马总是与赌博相挂钩。
• Engineering completely new symbiotic relationship is obviously not an imminent possibility.筹划完全新的共生关系显然是可能性不大。

6 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

7 rhino   

n.犀牛，钱, 现金

参考例句：

• The rhino charged headlong towards us.犀牛急速地向我们冲来。
• They have driven the rhino to the edge of extinction.他们已经令犀牛濒临灭绝。

8 rhinos   

n.犀牛（rhino的复数形式）

参考例句：

• There are many reports of people taming and even training Indian rhinos. 有许多关于人们驯养甚至训练印度犀牛的记载。 来自辞典例句
• The rhinos had fed during the night in the rice fields of these villagers. 犀牛夜里在这些村民的庄稼地里也已吃饱了。 来自辞典例句

9 symbiosis   

n.共生（关系），共栖

参考例句：

• They live in a symbiosis with governments that they are financing.他们与他们服务的政府互利共存。
• The symbiosis between social values and political structure has produced extraordinary achievement.社会价值观念和政治结构的共生现象带来了非凡的成就。

10 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

11 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。

12 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。

13 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。

14 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。