侏罗纪搏击俱乐部 第92期:恐龙也有高智商

 This was typical with plant eaters, but less commonly seen in predators² before this time.

这在植食性动物中很典型，不过在此前的掠食者中并不常见。

What's interesting with Allosaurus, we find large accumulations of Allosaurus's bone.

异特龙有趣的是，我们找到异特龙骨头大量积累。

That's unusual 'cause we tend not to find that with predatory animals of any kind, not just dinosaurs³.

那很不寻常，因为我们往往不会找到那个，不只是恐龙对任何掠食者来说都是。

It's when we see large accumulations that makes us wonder what's going on.

我们看到大量的骨头后时就开始琢磨这是怎么回事。

Did these animals live in large groups?

这些动物成群活动吗？

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One might even call them flocks considering they're closer related to birds.

有人也许甚至会叫他们恐龙群，考虑到它们跟鸟类密切相关。

Family groups are very effective for predators because hunting on your own, your chances of success are limited.

家族群体对于掠食者来说非常有效，因为单独狩猎的成功几率有限。

They are up against some pretty tough paraders back then.

那时候跟它们竞争的对手也很强大。

Some of the things they preyed⁴ on could've killed them very easily.

有些它们捕猎的对象能够轻易地杀死它们。

So by living in a family group and hunting in a family group, it ensures your chance of survival.

所以在家族群体里生活和捕猎，保证了生存的机会。

And there is another key difference.

还有另一个主要的区别。

The Allosaurus was an intelligent creature with a capacity to form strategies.

异特龙是聪明的生物，有能力组织策略。

We're very interested to have the opportunity to CAT scan the skull⁵ of Allosaurus because in terms of its position in the family tree of predatory dinosaurs, it was kind of right in the middle.

我们很乐于对异特龙头骨进行CAT扫描，因为在掠食性恐龙的系谱图里，它的位置正在中间。

It wasn't like the more primitive⁶ dinosaurs, like Majungasaurus, and it wasn't like the really sort of very bird-like dinosaurs, like Deinonychus.

它不像那些更为原始的恐龙，比如玛君龙，也跟那些很像鸟的恐爪龙等不同。

Allosaurus was the most sophisticated of the late Jurassic animals.

异特龙是后侏罗纪时期最为复杂的动物。

Among the large meat eating animals, it probably had the most sophisticated mental capacities.

在大型食肉动物里，它的可能拥有最复杂的心智能力。

No genius by any means, but smarter probably than any other large predators within its environment.

肯定算不上十分聪明，但肯定比它的环境里其它大型掠食者要更聪明。

This always would give it advantage over these other predatory dinosaurs.

与其它掠食恐龙相比这一点是它的优势。

Its senses were probably a bit more acute and the way their mind would process the sensory⁷ information, ahh, probably was more efficient.

它的感官可能更灵敏，它们的头脑处理这些感觉信息，也很可能更有效。

During the Jurassic period, Allosaurus was the most sophisticated predator¹.

在侏罗纪时期，异特龙是最先进的掠食者。

To accompany its intellect, it had three invaluable⁸ adaptations.

伴随它的智力，它还有三个难得的适应性的改变。

The first, a jagged array of serrated teeth rooted in jaws⁹ that could crush steel.

第一就是满口参差的能够咬穿钢铁的锯齿状牙齿。

1 predator   

n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者

参考例句：

• The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
• Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。

2 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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》

4 preyed   

v.掠食( prey的过去式和过去分词 )；掠食；折磨；（人）靠欺诈为生

参考例句：

• Remorse preyed upon his mind. 悔恨使他内心痛苦。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He had been unwise and it preyed on his conscience. 他做得不太明智，这一直让他良心不安。 来自辞典例句

5 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

6 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

7 sensory   

adj.知觉的，感觉的，知觉器官的

参考例句：

• Human powers of sensory discrimination are limited.人类感官分辨能力有限。
• The sensory system may undergo long-term adaptation in alien environments.感觉系统对陌生的环境可能经过长时期才能适应。

8 invaluable   

adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的

参考例句：

• A computer would have been invaluable for this job.一台计算机对这个工作的作用会是无法估计的。
• This information was invaluable to him.这个消息对他来说是非常宝贵的。

9 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。