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Nevada Fossil Site Could Be Ancient Reptile Birthing Area

时间:2022-12-27 03:07:33

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(单词翻译)

Nevada Fossil Site Could Be Ancient Reptile1 Birthing Area

Scientists have found new information about an area in the American state of Nevada that contains fossils of giant marine2 reptiles3.

Scientists previously4 thought it was a place where they came to die. But they now think it may have been where the reptiles came to give birth.

The area is famous for its fossils from giant ichthyosaurs. Those are reptiles that controlled the ancient seas and could grow up to the size of a school bus.

The name ichthyosaur means fish lizard5. The creatures were underwater predators7 with large flippers and big mouths full of teeth.

The ichthyosaur bones in Nevada were found in the 1950s. Since then, many scientists who study fossils, or paleontologists, have investigated how all these creatures could have died together. Now, researchers have proposed a different idea in a study recently published in the publication Current Biology.

"Several lines of evidence all kind of point towards one argument here: That this was a place where giant ichthyosaurs came to give birth," said co-writer Nicholas Pyenson. He is a fossil marine mammals expert at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

The area is in Nevada's Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park. The area used to be a sea. But it now sits in a dry area near an old mining town, said lead writer Randy Irmis, a paleontologist at the University of Utah.

The creature's skeletons are very large. Their vertebrae are about 25 centimeters. Bones from their flippers are as thick as large rocks. To get a look at the skeletons, researchers used 3D scanning to create a detailed9 digital model, Irmis said.

They identified fossils from at least 37 ichthyosaurs from the area, dating back about 230 million years. The bones were preserved in different rock layers. That suggests the creatures could have died hundreds of thousands of years apart rather than all at once, Pyenson said.

A major discovery came when the researchers found some tiny bones among the massive adult fossils. The researchers learned that they belonged to embryos11 and newborns, Pyenson said.

The researchers concluded that the creatures traveled to the area in groups for protection as they gave birth, like today's marine animals. The fossils are believed to be from the mothers and their young ones that died there over the years.

"Finding a place to give birth separated from a place where you might feed is really common in the modern world — among whales, among sharks," Pyenson said.

Other information helped rule out some previous explanations.

Testing the chemicals in the dirt did not turn up any signs of volcanic12 activities or major changes to the local environment. And research showed that the reptiles were preserved on the ocean floor far from the shore — meaning they probably did not die in a mass beaching event, Irmis said.

The new study offers a likely explanation for an area that has confused paleontologists for many years, said Dean Lomax. He is an ichthyosaur specialist at England's University of Manchester who was not involved with the research.

All may not be known, but the study "really helps to unlock a little bit more about this fascinating site," Lomax said.

Words in This Story

fossil — n. something that is from a plant or animal which lived in ancient times and that you can see in some rocks

predator6 — n. an animal that lives by killing13 and eating other animals

flipper8 — n. one of two flat body parts that stick out from the side of a seal, whale, etc., and are used by the animal for swimming

vertebrae — n. one of the small bones that are linked together to form the backbone14

3-D (three dimensional) – adj. made in a way that causes an image to appear to be three-dimensional, or having height, width and length

preserve — v. to keep in its original state or in good condition

embryo10 —n. a human or animal in the early stages of development before it is born, hatched, etc.

beach — v. When a large ocean animal has come out of the water onto land and is unable to return to the water.

fascinating — adj. very interesting or appealing


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1 reptile xBiz7     
n.爬行动物;两栖动物
参考例句:
  • The frog is not a true reptile.青蛙并非真正的爬行动物。
  • So you should not be surprised to see someone keep a reptile as a pet.所以,你不必惊奇有人养了一只爬行动物作为宠物。
2 marine 77Izo     
adj.海的;海生的;航海的;海事的;n.水兵
参考例句:
  • Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
  • When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时,他自愿参加了海军陆战队。
3 reptiles 45053265723f59bd84cf4af2b15def8e     
n.爬行动物,爬虫( reptile的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Snakes and crocodiles are both reptiles. 蛇和鳄鱼都是爬行动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Birds, reptiles and insects come from eggs. 鸟类、爬虫及昆虫是卵生的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
4 previously bkzzzC     
adv.以前,先前(地)
参考例句:
  • The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
  • Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿,解释原先发生了什么。
5 lizard P0Ex0     
n.蜥蜴,壁虎
参考例句:
  • A chameleon is a kind of lizard.变色龙是一种蜥蜴。
  • The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect.蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。
6 predator 11vza     
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。
7 predators 48b965855934a5395e409c1112d94f63     
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 flipper flipper     
n. 鳍状肢,潜水用橡皮制鳍状肢
参考例句:
  • The seal's flipper is homologous with the human arm. 海豹的鳍肢与人类的手臂同源。
  • It's almost like a flipper action as she kicks down. 她向下踢腿时有鱼鳍的效果。
9 detailed xuNzms     
adj.详细的,详尽的,极注意细节的,完全的
参考例句:
  • He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
  • A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。
10 embryo upAxt     
n.胚胎,萌芽的事物
参考例句:
  • They are engaging in an embryo research.他们正在进行一项胚胎研究。
  • The project was barely in embryo.该计划只是个雏形。
11 embryos 0e62a67414ef42288b74539e591aa30a     
n.晶胚;胚,胚胎( embryo的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Somatic cells of angiosperms enter a regenerative phase and behave like embryos. 被子植物体细胞进入一个生殖阶段,而且其行为象胚。 来自辞典例句
  • Evolution can explain why human embryos look like gilled fishes. 进化论能够解释为什么人类的胚胎看起来象除去了内脏的鱼一样。 来自辞典例句
12 volcanic BLgzQ     
adj.火山的;象火山的;由火山引起的
参考例句:
  • There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
  • Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。
13 killing kpBziQ     
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
参考例句:
  • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
  • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
14 backbone ty0z9B     
n.脊骨,脊柱,骨干;刚毅,骨气
参考例句:
  • The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
  • The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

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