2019年经济学人 食草系鳄鱼(1)

 

Compared with mammals, living members of the crocodile clan¹ have exceptionally boring dentition.

和哺乳动物相比，现存鳄鱼家族的成员有着异常无趣的牙列。

From the slender-snouted gharials of India and the nocturnal caimans of South America

从印度的非洲狭吻鳄和南美的夜行凯门鳄

to the saltwater behemoths of the South Pacific, crocodile teeth vary little in morphology.

到南太平洋的盐水巨兽，鳄鱼的牙齿形态变化不大。

All are conical and pointed². Each tooth in an animal's mouth is almost identical to its neighbours—

它们所有类型的牙齿都是圆圆尖尖的。动物嘴里的每颗牙齿几乎都和它的邻居一样—

as befits a group of that feed on a mixture of fish and the occasional careless beast

这群动物以各种鱼以及因粗心而偶尔

that strays too close to the shore, or even into the water itself.

离海岸太近或者甚至游到水里去的野兽为食。

This predilection³ for pointed fangs⁴ is not, however, how it has always been.

但对尖牙的这种偏爱并非一直如此。

During the days of the dinosaurs⁵, the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods,

在恐龙时代，侏罗纪和白垩纪，

crocodile-clan members showed extraordinary dental diversity.

鳄鱼家族成员的牙齿展现出了非凡的多样性。

Many of their teeth have proved so bizarre that some palaeontologists have theorised that,

它们的许多牙齿被证明是非常怪异的，以至于一些古生物学家推断，

far from being carnivorous, these ancient species might have been eating plants.

这些远古物种根本不是食肉动物，它们可能以植物为食。

A study published this week in Current Biology, by Keegan Melstrom and Randall Irmis at the University of Utah, confirms this.

本周犹他大学的Keegan Melstrom和Randall Irmis在《Current Biology》发表的一项研究证实了这一点。

It also suggests that herbivory evolved in the crocodile clan on several occasions.

该研究还表明鳄鱼家族的食草性进化了好几次。

When trying to work out what ancient animals ate, palaeontologists usually look to modern analogues⁶.

当古生物学家试图弄清楚古代动物吃什么时，他们通常会参照现代的类似物。

If teeth from an extinct beast match those of a modern species, the two are quite likely to have had similar diets.

如果灭绝动物的牙齿与现代动物的牙齿相匹配，那么这两种动物很可能有着相似的饮食习惯。

With extinct crocodilians, however, this palaeontological tactic⁷ has routinely been stymied⁸

但对于已经灭绝的鳄鱼来说，这种古生物学策略经常受到阻碍

because their teeth, which are adorned⁹ with many rows of cusps and wrinkled enamel¹⁰,

因为它们的牙齿上布满了一排排的牙尖和皱巴巴的牙釉质

look nothing like what is found in the mouths of animals alive today.

看起来一点也不像在今天活着的动物嘴里发现的东西。

This has left the topic of what ancient crocodilians ate very much up for grabs.

这就留下了古代鳄鱼吃什么的话题。

Some palaeontologists argue that certain species, such as Simosuchus clarki were vegetarian¹¹.

一些古生物学家认为某些种类，如迷你鳄鱼是素食动物。

To solve the puzzle Mr Melstrom and Dr Irmis turned to Orientation¹² Patch Count Rotated (OPCR) analysis.

为了解决这个难题，Melstrom和Irmis博士转向了旋转定位补丁计数（OPCR）分析。

1 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

2 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

3 predilection   

n.偏好

参考例句：

• He has a predilection for rich food.他偏好油腻的食物。
• Charles has always had a predilection for red-haired women.查尔斯对红头发女人一直有偏爱。

4 fangs   

n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座

参考例句：

• The dog fleshed his fangs in the deer's leg. 狗用尖牙咬住了鹿腿。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Dogs came lunging forward with their fangs bared. 狗龇牙咧嘴地扑过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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》

6 analogues   

相似物( analogue的名词复数 )； 类似物； 类比； 同源词

参考例句：

• A vegetarian gets protein not from meat but from its analogues. 素食者所摄取的蛋白质不是来自肉类而是来自近似肉类的食物。
• Moreover, it tends to foster the human qualities that I admire most-courage and its analogues. 不但如此，它还能培养我最景仰的那些德性-勇敢和诸如此类的东西。

7 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

8 stymied   

n.被侵袭的v.妨碍，阻挠( stymie的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Relief efforts have been stymied in recent weeks by armed gunmen. 最近几周的救援工作一直受到武装分子的阻挠。 来自辞典例句
• I was completely stymied by her refusal to help. 由于她拒不相助， 我完全陷入了困境。 来自互联网

9 adorned   

[计]被修饰的

参考例句：

• The walls were adorned with paintings. 墙上装饰了绘画。
• And his coat was adorned with a flamboyant bunch of flowers. 他的外套上面装饰着一束艳丽刺目的鲜花。

10 enamel   

n.珐琅，搪瓷，瓷釉；(牙齿的)珐琅质

参考例句：

• I chipped the enamel on my front tooth when I fell over.我跌倒时门牙的珐琅质碰碎了。
• He collected coloured enamel bowls from Yugoslavia.他藏有来自南斯拉夫的彩色搪瓷碗。

11 vegetarian   

n.素食者；adj.素食的

参考例句：

• She got used gradually to the vegetarian diet.她逐渐习惯吃素食。
• I didn't realize you were a vegetarian.我不知道你是个素食者。

12 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。