VOA慢速英语--New Mexico Desert Captures Evidence of Sloth Hunt

 

A desert in the American Southwest provides evidence of a hunt from long ago.

Scientists found footprints from a hunt involving ancient human beings and a large prehistoric¹ sloth². They discovered the footprints in what is now the White Sands National Monument in the state of New Mexico.

The discovery is extremely rare. The researchers say it could change scientists’ understanding of how ancient humans interacted with large animals. It also may show whether our ancestors were responsible for the disappearance³ of the giant ground sloth.

Footprints in footprints

The researchers found more than 100 footprints dating back between 10,000 and 15,000 years. They were found among particles of gypsum, a soft mineral, in the desert.

The prints seem to show humans following giant ground sloths⁴. The animals could reach the size of an elephant. Science magazine says they disappeared about 11,000 years ago, around the end of Earth’s last Ice Age. That would be about the same time the first human civilizations appeared on our planet.

The footprints show that, sometimes, the human hunters walked directly in markings left by the giant sloth. The distance between steps for a giant sloth is greater than that of a human step. Researchers say the markings show one human appeared to get very close to a sloth on tip-toe.

In places where the human footprints appear close to the sloth’s markings, the animal suddenly changes direction. The researchers found what they call "flailing⁵ circles," where it looks like the animal stood up on its back legs to defend itself with its front legs.

Risky⁶ hunting

Hunting such a large animal "would have come with huge amounts of risk," said Matthew Bennett of Bournemouth University in England. He is a geology professor and the lead writer of a recent report on the discovery. The findings appear in the scientific publication Science Advances.

"You know, if you were chasing a small rabbit or something, little risk associated. But going head to head with a sloth, the chances are that you might come off badly."

With the newly discovered footprints, Bennett said "we can begin to understand how they did it." "That gives us a better understanding whether we are guilty or not" of hunting the animals to extinction⁷.

Martin Lockley is a paleontologist. Paleontology is the area of science concerned with fossilized remains⁸ of plants and animals. Lockley taught at the University of Colorado, in Denver, before his retirement⁹. He was not involved in the new research.

Lockley said “It is very rare if not unique to see unequivocal evidence of human interactions with large vertebrates based on tracks.

He added, “There are only a handful of ancient human footprint sites in North America, making this one of the best.”

The researchers say there are likely other footprints to be found at the White Sands National Monument.

I'm Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

tip-toe – n. the action of touching¹⁰ the ground only with one’s toes

associated – adj. closely connect with another person or thing

extinction – n. the act of making something die out

unique – adj. special; unusual

unequivocal – adj. very strong or clear

vertebrate – n. any of the bony pieces making up the backbone

1 prehistoric   

adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的

参考例句：

• They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。
• It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。

2 sloth   

n.[动]树懒；懒惰，懒散

参考例句：

• Absence of competition makes for sloth.没有竞争会导致懒惰。
• The sloth spends most of its time hanging upside down from the branches.大部分时间里树懒都是倒挂在树枝上。

3 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

4 sloths   

懒散( sloth的名词复数 )； 懒惰； 树獭； （经济）停滞。

参考例句：

• Mummies of pleistocene ground sloths, with original skin, hair, tendons and claws have been found. 还发现了保存原有皮肤，毛发，腱和爪的更新世时期地面树懒的木乃伊。
• He was inspired by fossils of armadillos and sloths. 犰狳和树懒化石让他获得了灵感。

5 flailing   

v.鞭打( flail的现在分词 )；用连枷脱粒；（臂或腿）无法控制地乱动；扫雷坦克

参考例句：

• He became moody and unreasonable, flailing out at Katherine at the slightest excuse. 他变得喜怒无常、不可理喻，为点鸡毛蒜皮的小事就殴打凯瑟琳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His arms were flailing in all directions. 他的手臂胡乱挥舞着。 来自辞典例句

6 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

7 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。

8 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。

9 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

10 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。