侏罗纪搏击俱乐部 第160期:北美洲最可怕的猎手

 　　70 million years ago,Albertosaurus was the most fearsome hunter in North America.

　　七千万年前，阿尔伯特龙是北美洲最可怕的猎手。

　　It was one of the few dinosaurs² that would take on the horned Arctic dinosaur¹.

　　它是少数敢于攻击带角的北极恐龙的恐龙之一。

　　This herd³ of Pachyrhinosaurus had eaten many days worth of food to prepare for their migration⁴.

　　这群肿鼻角龙拼命吃了好多天的食物，为它们的迁徙做准备。

　　This would have slowed them down and made them sluggish⁵.

　　这会减慢它们的速度并且让它们变得笨拙。

　　Although Pachyrhinosaurus doesn't have the same massive size and weaponry as the other members of the Ceratopsian family, they are still pretty powerful and dangerous dinosaurs.

　　尽管肿鼻角龙没有角龙家族的其它成员庞大的身躯和武器库，它们仍然是非常强大危险的恐龙。

　　That horn can cause some fatal wounds and the fact that they lived in herds⁶ makes them that much more dangerous.

　　它的角能造成致命伤害，而且它们成群生活，使它们更危险。

　　So these Albertosaurus have got to be very careful.

　　所以这些阿尔伯特龙必须非常小心。

　　Albertosaurus fed on horned dinosaurs, duck billed dinosaurs, and even the armored Ankylosaurus.They were fearless.

　　阿尔伯特龙进食带角的恐龙、鸭嘴龙甚至披盔戴甲的甲龙。它们无所畏惧。

　　The behavior and hunting methods of dinosaurs like Albertosaurus were no different than those of larger predators⁷ today.

　　像阿尔伯特龙这样的恐龙其行为和狩猎方法与如今的大型掠食者没有区别。

　　Lions are a perfect example of how they'll seek out members of the herd and target the weakest for attack.

　　狮子就是绝佳的例子，它们挑出兽群中的成员并以其中最弱的为目标发动进攻。

　　These Albertosaurus know that a weak member of the herd is less likely to put up a vigorous defense⁸ and so their chances of being injured are reduced.

　　这些阿尔伯特龙知道兽群里的弱者比较不可能会奋起反抗，所以它们自己受伤的几率就降低了。

　　Unlike many dinosaurs, the Albertosaurus wanted to chase its prey⁹.

　　跟很多恐龙不同的是，阿尔伯特龙希望追逐它的猎物。

　　This tired the victim and made it easier to kill.

　　这会让猎物疲劳，猎杀起来更加容易。

　　Alerted to their presence, the Pachyrhinosaurus take up a defensive¹⁰ stand and begin to scan the forest for their unseen attacker.

　　肿鼻角龙注意到了它们，于是开始采用防御姿势并开始扫视森林试图找出尚未现身的攻击者。

　　Realizing that the herd is aware of them, the Albertosaurus leave their hiding positions and move in towards the awaiting Pachyrhinosaurus.

　　知道角龙群已经注意到了它们，阿尔伯特龙离开了隐藏位置向等待着的肿鼻角龙靠近。

　　Pachyrhinosaurus had eyes on the side of its head, its depth perception was poor.

　　肿鼻角龙的眼睛在头部两侧，视觉深度感很差。

　　If they can cause the herd to stampede, they know it'll expose the weakest member.

　　如果它们能让整个角龙群奔逃，就能够从中看出较弱的个体。

　　Even though these dinosaurs could stand their ground against these Albertosaurus, the Pachyrhinosaurus are hard wired to flee at the first signs of danger.

　　尽管这群恐龙能够守住阵地对抗阿尔伯特龙，但肿鼻角龙在遇到危险的时候本能就是落荒而逃。

　　By turning and running away, it exposes the weakest member, it insures the health and wellbeing of the rest of the herd.

　　它们转身跑开时会暴露出最弱的成员，它证明了群体其它成员的健康。

　　This is nature's way of weeding out the sick, old and injured.

　　这是自然界淘汰老弱病残的法则。

1 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。

2 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》

3 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。

4 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

5 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

6 herds   

兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众

参考例句：

• Regularly at daybreak they drive their herds to the pasture. 每天天一亮他们就把牲畜赶到草场上去。
• There we saw herds of cows grazing on the pasture. 我们在那里看到一群群的牛在草地上吃草。

7 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》

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

10 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。