時(shí)差N小時(shí):科學(xué)家深度研究恐龍巢穴

Tons of dinosaur fossils have been unearthed overthe last hundred years.

過去的一百年來，大量恐龍化石被發(fā)掘。

These long-buriedbones tell us about the physicalbuild and eating habits of dinosaurs.

這些長埋的骨頭告訴我們恐龍的體質(zhì)和飲食習(xí)慣。

But to tell how dinosaurs livedand behaved, youoften need more than bones.

但為了弄清恐龍的生活習(xí)性，你通常需要更多的骨頭。

That's why the earliest dinosaur nests found todateare giving up secrets about dinosaurs that lived onehundred ninety million years ago.

這就是為什么迄今為止發(fā)現(xiàn)的最早的恐龍巢穴能夠披露生活在一億九千萬年前的恐龍的秘密。Massospondylus, whose name means“longer vertebrae,” was a two legged, omnivore that wasfrom thirteen to twenty feet long andweighed three hundred pounds.

大椎龍，顧名思義，就是有更長的椎骨，兩條腿，長13到20英尺，重達(dá)300磅的雜食動(dòng)物。

Its small head was perchedon a long neck and its forelimbs were armed with sharp thumbclaws.

它的小腦袋長在長長的脖子上，前肢裝備著鋒利的拇指爪子。

An archeological site at Golden Gate Highlands National Park in SouthAfrica has been atreasuretrove of information for scientists.

南非金門高地國家公園的考古遺址一直是科學(xué)家的信息寶庫。

Ten nests have been unearthed at several levels of the site.

這里的幾個(gè)地方曾出土了10個(gè)不同等級(jí)的巢穴，

Each contains up to thirty four round eggs tightly clustered.

每個(gè)巢穴中有多達(dá)三、四十枚緊密聚集在一起的圓蛋。

Both eggs and dinosaur embryoshave been examined.

蛋和恐龍胚胎都做了檢測(cè)。

The site not only gives us physical information, it shines some light on the behavior of theseearlydinosaurs.

這些遺址不僅給我們提供物體信息，還指引我們弄清早期恐龍的習(xí)性。

It confirms that even early dinosaurs built nests in groups, similar to colonial birdsnestingtoday.

它證實(shí)了即使是早期恐龍也是集體筑巢的，與今天殖民鳥類筑巢相似。

Despite their menacing claws, Massospondylus mothers kept highly organizednests, suggestingthat they may have arranged the eggs in their nest after laying them.

盡管有具威脅性的爪子，長椎龍媽媽在筑巢時(shí)礽保持著高度的組織性，這可能暗示著她們產(chǎn)蛋后會(huì)將其整理好。

Nest locations within the strata indicate that the dinosaurs returned to the site year after year.

筑巢點(diǎn)的地層表明恐龍會(huì)年復(fù)一年的返回筑巢地。

This behavior is known as nesting fidelity.

這種行為被稱為棲息地忠實(shí)性。

Footprints around the nest are also giving us an idea aboutyoung dinosaur behavior. Hatchlingsdidn't leave the nest site immediately, but stayed in the areauntil they were at least doubletheir hatching size.

巢穴周圍的腳印也能幫我們了解小恐龍的習(xí)性。幼仔不會(huì)立刻離開巢穴，而是一直在該區(qū)待到至少是孵化時(shí)兩倍大小才離開。