导读

一项发表于《自然》杂志的研究证实：这种一直被叫作“矮暴龙”的小家伙，并非霸王龙的幼年形态，而是货真价实的独立物种。这场科学“破案”的关键证据，来自美国蒙大拿州地狱溪组的一具全新暴龙类化石。以下是外媒报道。

双语文本

The fossilised remains of two dinosaurs locked in combat have unleashed a fresh drama, suggesting diminutive specimens thought to be Tyrannosaurus rex teenagers could instead be separate, smaller species.

两具恐龙搏斗的化石遗骸引发了一场新的争论，表明此前被认为是霸王龙幼崽的小型样本可能属于另一个体型更小的独立物种。

The “duelling dinosaurs” fossil, which reveals a triceratops in battle with a medium-sized tyrannosaur, was unearthed in Montana by commercial fossil hunters in 2006 and dates to shortly before the asteroid strike that ended the reign of the dinosaurs 66m years ago.

这具“恐龙决斗”化石展现了一只三角龙与一只中型霸王龙搏斗的场景，于2006年由商业化石猎人在蒙大拿州发掘出土，其年代可追溯至6600万年前小行星撞击终结恐龙统治前夕。

It only became available for scientific research after it was acquired by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS) in recent years. Now researchers say a detailed analysis of the fighting tyrannosaur reveals it is not a juvenile T rex as many had thought but an adult of a different species, Nanotyrannus lancensis.

近年来，这具化石被北卡罗来纳州自然科学博物馆（NCMNS）收藏，才得以用于科学研究。如今，研究人员表示，对这具搏斗中的霸王龙化石进行详细分析后发现，它并非此前许多人认为的霸王龙幼崽，而是另一个物种矮暴龙的成年个体。



相关表达

1 .be locked in僵持不下

释义：If you say that people are locked in conflict or in battle, you mean they are arguing or fighting in a fierce or determined way, and neither side seems likely to stop.

例：He is now locked in battle with Birmingham City Council.

他正在与伯明翰市议会进行顽强的斗争。

2 .unleash vt.释放

释义：If you say that someone or something unleashes a powerful force, feeling, activity, or group, you mean that they suddenly start it or send it somewhere.

例：The announcement unleashed a storm of protest from the public.

公告引发了一场公众的抗议风暴。

3 .unearth vt.

挖掘出土

释义：If someone unearths something that is buried, they find it by digging in the ground.

例：Fossil hunters have unearthed the bones of an elephant believed to be 500,000 years old.

化石寻找者们挖掘出了一头被认为有50万年之久的大象遗骨。

v

发现

释义：If someone unearths facts or evidence, they discover them with difficulty.

例：Researchers have unearthed documents from the 1600s.

研究人员已发现了17世纪的文件。

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