VOA慢速英语--科学家最新研究,有超过25亿只霸王龙在地球游荡

A new study suggests that up to 2.5 billion Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaurs¹ lived on Earth over a period of a few million years.

However, the research shows that not many of these powerful creatures lived in the same place at the same time.

Tyrannosaurus Rex, commonly known as T. rex, existed on Earth for millions of years. Scientists involved in the study estimate about 2.5 billion of them lived over a period of 2.4 million years. The dinosaurs mostly lived in the area of the world now known as North America.

A team at the University of California at Berkeley came up with a method to estimate how many T. rex, called "the dinosaur² king," had ever lived. The findings were recently published in the journal Science.

The method aimed to establish a relationship between body size and population density³. The scientists based their research on the theory that the larger an animal is, the smaller its population will be.

To come up with an overall number, the team considered the dinosaur's body size, sexual maturity⁴ and energy needs. Experts say it is the first time that such an estimate has been made.

Some scientists who study dinosaurs said they are very interested in the new findings.

Kristi Curry⁵ Rogers is a paleobiologist at Macalester College. She said she "did a double-take" when she saw the number.

Charles Marshall was the main writer of the study. He is the director of the University of California Museum of Paleontology.

"That's a lot of jaws," he said. "That's a lot of teeth. That's a lot of claws."

The researchers said a city the size of Washington D.C. would likely have had only two T. rex living in the area. They estimated that around 4,000 would have lived on a piece of land the size of a large state, like California.

The estimates are useful for scientists who study dinosaurs because it helps them understand the percentage of T. rex bones, or fossils, that have survived.

Marshall said there have only been about 100 identifiable T. rex fossils ever found. That means that if there had only been 2.5 million of the dinosaurs, humans might never have learned about them.

The scientists considered that a T. rex lived about 28 years and that it had food needs somewhere between a large lizard⁷ and a lion.

Since all the numbers are just estimates, the scientists say the results are not perfect. They think it is possible the actual number of T. rex was somewhere between 140 million and 42 billion. The middle number is about 2.4 billion.

Some people may question why scientists choose to research animals that lived so long ago. James Farlow, a geology professor from Purdue University offered his opinion. He said he believes the study is important, but also, "this kind of thing is very cool."

Words in This Story

maturity –n. to officially decide (something) especially because of evidence or facts : to establish (something) exactly or with authority

double-take –n. an act of quickly looking at something that is surprising or unusual a second time after looking at it a moment earlier

jaw⁶ –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)

cool –adj. very fashionable, stylish, or appealing

1 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》

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 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

4 maturity   

n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期

参考例句：

• These plants ought to reach maturity after five years.这些植物五年后就该长成了。
• This is the period at which the body attains maturity.这是身体发育成熟的时期。

5 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

6 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。

7 lizard   

n.蜥蜴，壁虎

参考例句：

• A chameleon is a kind of lizard.变色龙是一种蜥蜴。
• The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect.蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。