侏罗纪搏击俱乐部 第53期:有屋顶的蜥蜴

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如今地球上没有什么动物长得和剑龙相似。

And it just was so peculiar¹ with that long cone²-shaped head and this big curved back and these short front legs and long back legs, those plates on the back and the spikes³ on the tail.

它那长锥形头部、又大又弯的背部短小的前腿长长的后腿、背部的骨板还有尾巴上的尖刺都非常特别。

It was just so different from anything known past or present that it's sort of an icon⁴ of the Jurassic.

它同过去和如今的任何生物都大为不同它可算是侏罗纪的标志。

Its name means roof lizard⁵ after the seventeen plates arranged in a double row along its back.

其名字意为有屋顶的蜥蜴，因其背上两排十七块骨板而得名。

These plates ranged in height from ten centimeters to almost a meter and gave Stegosaurus its unique appearance.

这些骨板的高度从十厘米到将近一米赋予了剑龙独一无二的外观。

Their exact function is still a mystery.

它们的具体功能仍是个迷。

Some people think they look sexy, perhaps female Stegosaurs really liked the look of the plates on the male Stegosaurus.

有些人认为这让它们更性感，也许雌剑龙喜欢雄剑龙带着骨板的样子。

Some people think that perhaps it played a role in thermal⁶ regulation, that is heating up or cooling down the animal.

有些人认为骨板可能有热调节功能能让该动物升温或散热。

Uh, And of course, to some degree, they would have played a defensive⁷ role in the sense

当然在一定程度上它们也有防护功能，从这方面来说，

that they would've been very hard to bite should you try to bite that part of the Stegosaur.

要想咬到剑龙的那部分会非常地不好下嘴。

Personally, I favor the the sexiness hypothesis, it's kind of more fun to say.

我个人更喜欢性感假设说起来更有意思。

The Stegosaurus found at the site stood four and a half meters tall, measured about nine meters in length and weighed three tons.

在石场发现的剑龙高四米半长达九米、重量为三吨。

Their front legs were shorter than their rear, making them slow moving but far from helpless.

它们的前腿比后腿短这让它们行动迟缓但也绝非易于之辈。

Stegosaurs are very much like their armored cousin the ankylosaurs in having very small forelegs and very long hind⁸ legs.

剑龙的前腿很短而后腿又很长，这一点很像它们带甲的亲戚甲龙。

This allows them to move the front quarters around, pivoted⁹ around a small point and use the long legs to move the back end very fast around that same point.

这样它们能够以一个支点为中心移动身体前部并且绕着同一点用长腿快速移动身体末端。

But keep the tail pointed¹⁰ toward what they're attacking.

它们就能把尾巴一直对准攻击对象。

And what a tail they had.

这尾巴可不一般。

They had four spines¹¹ sticking out the very end of the tail.

在尾巴的末端支出四根长刺。

In fact, the last two spines stuck past the point of the tail.

其实最后两根长刺都伸到了尾巴末端之后。

The time was filled with predators¹².

当时充斥着许多掠食者。

At the watering hole, Stegosaurus had one main means of defence - its tail spikes, four cone shaped points, a meter long.

在水坑处，剑龙有一种主要的防御手段——它的尾刺四枚锥形尖刺长达一米。

Those are the greatest dinosaur¹³ weapons ever found.

这些是被发现的最厉害的恐龙武器。

These spikes are incredible weapons, by swinging that tail, if he strikes you with them, you're done for.

这些尾刺是出色的武器它会摆动尾巴，用尾刺猛击你你就完了。

Those spikes could penetrate¹⁴ bone, they could penetrate flesh and they could cause an injury that would end the attacker's life.

这些刺能击穿骨头能刺透血肉，它们能造成严重损伤终结攻击者的生命。

It'd be like a big spiked¹⁵ mace¹⁶ and I don't mean the stuff you spray, you know, on muggers.

这就像一根钉锤，这可不是遇到劫道者时喷的辣椒水什么的。

But rather a more medieval weapon, a big club with pointy parts on it.

而是中世纪的那种武器在粗大的木杆上装上尖刺那种。

I think it's really quite what it would've like to have been hit by the end of the Stegosaur tail.

我觉得那样击打的效果和剑龙尾巴末端造成的差不多。

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