侏罗纪搏击俱乐部 第62期:旁边是孩子毫无生机的尸体

 Allosaurus are cooperative hunters.

异特龙是合作猎手。

So as two of them move down to take on their adversary¹ head-on, the third moves off in a different direction in an effort to outflankthe Ceratosaurus.

两头异特龙从正面向对手靠近，第三头则从另一个方向试图包抄这头角鼻龙。

We see this sort of ambush² maneuver³ in modern lions and, sometimes, wolves.

我们能在现代狮群中看到这类伏击,有时候狼群里也有。

If you can keep your opponents attention focused in one direction, it allows for a surprise attack from the other.

要是能让把对手的注意力吸引到一个方向，这就让其它同伴能发动突袭。

One of them took advantage of the Stegosaurs' vulnerable position, and uses him as a platform.

它们中的一头利用了无助的剑龙,并把它当做平台。

The Ceratorsaurus begins to move away from the Stegosaurus.

角鼻龙开始从剑龙处后撤。

With an incredible force, the third Allosaurus crushed the unsuspecting Ceratosaurus.

第三头异特龙把毫无准备的角鼻龙猛地摔了出去。

We now know that some stegasaurus could have as many as eight spikes⁴ on their tail.

我们现在知道有些剑龙尾巴上的尖刺多达八根。

The massive weight on the female Stegosaurus causes her body to lean forward, this frees her tail.

雌性剑龙身上的巨大重量让它的身体向前倾，这就解放了它的尾巴。

The moment she feels her tails become free, she swings it with every bit of remaining energy she has and it lands a direct hit.

它等到尾巴能够活动时，立刻用尽所剩力气猛地抡起尾巴直接击中了对手。

The location of the bones tells the story.

击中的骨头位置说明了一切。

One Allosaurus down.

一头异特龙倒下了。

A few steps away, the motionless body of the Ceratosaurus.

几步之外是一动不动的角鼻龙。

A Stegosaurus struggles to free herself from this muddy trap.

一头剑龙挣扎着想从泥里脱身。

Next to her, the lifeless body of her offspring.

它的旁边是它孩子毫无生机的尸体。

A hundred meters away, another dinosaur⁵ arrived.

一百米之外另一种恐龙出现了。

A family of Camarasaurus moves down to the lakebed.

一家圆顶龙来到湖床。

Leading them is a huge male.

带领它们的是一头巨大雄性。

Its sheer size is enough to deter⁶ almost any attacker.

仅仅是它的体型就足够吓退几乎所有的攻击者。

The Allosaurus are now faced with a difficult choice.

异特龙现在面临艰难抉择。

Do they continue their attack on the Stegosaurus or do they dare take on something as huge as a Camarasaurus?

是继续进攻这头剑龙还是冒险攻击巨大无比的圆顶龙？

I would say that under normal circumstances, a Camarasaurus was such a big animal that it didn't really have to worry about attack very often.

我得说在一般情况下，圆顶龙个头儿实在太大，基本上不用担心会被攻击。

We certainly know that sometimes they get stuck in the mud.

我们知道它们有时也被困在泥里。

And in a situation like that, if it's isolated⁷ from the rest of the herd⁸, Allosaurus may have taken a chance.

在这样的情况下，如果它和群体里其它成员分开了，异特龙也许会冒险一试。

1 adversary   

adj.敌手，对手

参考例句：

• He saw her as his main adversary within the company.他将她视为公司中主要的对手。
• They will do anything to undermine their adversary's reputation.他们会不择手段地去损害对手的名誉。

2 ambush   

n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击

参考例句：

• Our soldiers lay in ambush in the jungle for the enemy.我方战士埋伏在丛林中等待敌人。
• Four men led by a sergeant lay in ambush at the crossroads.由一名中士率领的四名士兵埋伏在十字路口。

3 maneuver   

n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略

参考例句：

• All the fighters landed safely on the airport after the military maneuver.在军事演习后，所有战斗机都安全降落在机场上。
• I did get her attention with this maneuver.我用这个策略确实引起了她的注意。

4 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

7 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

8 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。