纪录片《恐龙的战争》 完美捕食（9）（在线收听）

A scan of a Deinonychus skull 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 socket 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 vessels 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 cones...

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 discriminate 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 apex 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 agile 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 agility.

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 dime.

这种动物能在极小的地方灵活转弯。

These Olympic capabilities 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 flicking 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 prey 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 dart 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 intercept 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。