恐龙行星（2011）

恐龙星球
失落的世界
这是一个发现恐龙的黄金时期
We're living through THE golden age of dinosaur discoveries.
世界上 整整一个时代的恐龙
All over the world, a whole new generation
被发现并加以研究
of dinosaurs has been revealed.
从庞然大物
From the biggest giants...
到致命杀手
and the deadliest killers...
以及那些怪异的小东西
to the weird and wonderful.
从北极圈到非洲大♥陆♥
From the Arctic to Africa.
从南美到亚洲
From South America to Asia.
就在最近的几年中
In just the last few years,
我们发掘了极不寻常恐龙化石
we have uncovered the most extraordinary fossils,
他们非常完整 精细入微 引起无数的猜想
exquisitely preserved and tantalisingly intact.
应用最先进的成像技术
Combined with the latest imaging technology,
我们可以调查的更深更彻底 发现更多的东西
we have been able to probe deeper and reveal more than ever before.
我们首次以全球视野来认识这不可思议的生物
It gives us our first truly global view of these incredible animals.
在本节目中
In this programme,
我们将探索非洲大♥陆♥一些不为人知之处
we're exploring the lost world of Africa.
这片土地被遗忘了大约100年
For almost 100 years, this was a forgotten land.
然而最新的发掘
Now, new discoveries have revealed
让我们发现了一些非常特别的恐龙
some of the most spectacular dinosaurs ever found.
两种巨型杀手
Two giant killers,
他们都要比霸王龙体型更加庞大
both bigger than T Rex,
并生存在同一个地方
both living in the same place.
其中的一个杀手
One of these killers, more than any,
更是让人无法想象
has captured the imagination.
一种非常怪异的杀手 我们最近几年
A bizarre killer that we've only just managed to reconstruct,
才刚刚能够构架出它的模型
in the last few years.
故事开始于1912年的埃及
The story begins in Egypt, in 1912,
人们发现了这种庞然大物的一些碎片
when fragments of a giant dinosaur were discovered.
这种猎食者在背部有长达两米的突触
A predator with two-metre-long spines rising over its back.
这是之前所有的猎食者都从未有过的
It was unlike anything seen before.
直到2005年 当一块完整的上颚骨被发现
It was only in 2005, when a complete upper jaw was found,
我们才得以重现这怪物的原型
that we could accurately reconstruct this bizarre creature.
头骨大概有两米长
With a skull almost two metres long,
这恐龙异常巨大 从头至尾
this dinosaur was a colossal 17 metres
长达17米
from nose to tail -
比霸王龙还长了四米
four metres longer than T Rex.
恐龙统治地球大概始于
The reign of the dinosaurs began
两亿五千万年前
almost 250 million years ago.
但这种猎食恐龙直到
But this killer didn't appear
白垩纪中期才出现
until a time known as the Mid-Cretaceous.
大概在九千五百万年前的北非大♥陆♥
95 million years ago, its home in north Africa
那是被一大♥片♥河流沼泽包围的沙漠
was a desert surrounding a vast system of rivers and swamps.
沼泽是许多大型恐龙的庇护之所
The swamps are refuges for many large dinosaurs,
譬如长有鸭嘴的的无畏龙
like the duck-billed Ouranosaurus.
这也是恐龙的捕食场所
They're also the hunting grounds for a killer
体长七米 体重三吨♥ 无畏龙算比较大的了
At seven metres and three tonnes, Ouranosaurs are big...
但相对于故事的主人公实在是微不足道
..but easily within the scope of a large predator.
棘龙
Spinosaurus.
长达十七米 是地球上存在过的最大的捕食者
At 17 metres, the biggest killer ever to walk the Earth.
重达十一吨♥的庞然大物
An 11-tonne colossus.
然而 目前而言
However, for the time being,
这些无畏龙还是安全的
these Ouranosaurs are off this killer's menu.
棘龙是恐龙大家庭
Spinosaurus is part of a family of dinosaurs
最近才发现的新成员
that are relatively newly-discovered.
最近的发现表明这种奇怪族群的足迹
Recent finds have shown that this strange group
遍布南美洲 欧洲 一直到 亚洲
lived from South America, through Europe, to Asia.
但它们中最后 最大的都来自北非大♥陆♥
But the last and biggest of all came from north Africa.
棘龙本身
Spinosaurus itself.
在2010年
In 2010,
对于它们骨骼牙齿化石的分♥析♥的结果令人吃惊
analysis of their bones and teeth revealed something surprising.
化学分♥析♥显示
Chemical traces found in the fossils suggested the Spinosaurus lived
棘龙过着像鳄鱼一样的生活 而不像陆居恐龙
more like a crocodile than other land-based dinosaurs.
研究显示它们大部分生命是在水中度过的
It showed that they spent a large part of their lives in water.
棘龙是一种在水中猎食的捕食者
Spinosaurus is a predator, but one that hunts in water.
以鱼为食的捕食恐龙
It's ichthyophagous - a fish-eater.
这是帆锯鳐
This is Onchopristis.
一种八米长的巨型剑鱼
An eight-metre-long giant swordfish,
与至今现存的剑鱼有点类似
similar to those alive today.
锯齿状的喙两侧排列着致命的倒刺
The saw-like rostrum is lined with lethal barbs,
喙本身长度大概2.5米
and is in itself up to 2.5 metres in length.
可能这些剑鱼是迁徙到淡水河里面进行繁殖
It's thought they migrated into freshwater rivers to breed,
这里幼小的剑鱼会更安全
where the young may be safer,
但是那些成年的剑鱼就要面临新的威胁
but the adults are exposed to new threats.
在他们繁殖的高峰期
With their breeding season at its height,
这些淡水河中挤满了大量的帆锯鳐
these rivers are filled with Onchopristis.
对棘龙而言是绝佳捕食机会
It's the perfect hunting opportunity for Spinosaurus.
棘龙的圆锥形牙齿不断进化是为了抓咬猎物
Spinosaurus's conical teeth evolved to grip prey
而不是用来撕扯
rather than tear off flesh.
因此 棘龙就需要有力的前肢和爪子
For that, it needs powerful arms and claws.
由于猎物很充分 棘龙不需精打细算
With prey plentiful, Spinosaurus can afford to be wasteful.
而其他的一些食肉龙则可以趁机捞一把
A fact which other dinosaurs take full advantage of.
褶皱龙 一种八米长的腐蚀恐龙
Rugops, an eight-metre carnivore.
在其它地方 或许它可以为所欲为
Anywhere else, it might dominate.
但这里绝对是棘龙的天下
But here, it is dwarfed by Spinosaurus.
棘背龙很独特 有着长而窄的颌部
Spinosaurus is unique, with long, narrow jaws
鼻孔长在头顶很高的地方
and nostrils set high on its head.
牙齿笔直而呈锥形
Its teeth were straight and conical.
它的牙齿让我们想象得到它是怎样猎杀的
They gave us a clue as to how it killed.
2008年发现了更多的证据
More evidence came in 2008,
那时候棘背龙的头颅骨被送去进行CT扫描
when Spinosaurus' skull was put through a CT scanner.
在鼻部处 显示出一组鼻孔和鼻窦的奇怪形状
It revealed a curious pattern of holes and sinuses in the snout
看起来和鳄鱼的很相似
that looked just like those of crocodiles.
有人认为这些内含有压力传感器
It's thought these contained pressure sensors,
像鳄鱼一样可以探测到猎物的传感器
sensors that, like a crocodile, can detect prey,
让它非常适应在水中捕猎
making it perfectly adapted to hunting in water.
这一发现让我们得到了它捕猎方式的确切证据
This discovery gives us our best evidence of exactly how it hunted.
高高的鼻子避免在捕食过程中呛水
Able to hold its snout in the water because of its high nostrils,
它能够不看猎物而直接发动攻击
it can strike without even seeing its prey.
尾随的皱褶头颅骨非常脆弱 难以进行捕杀
The ever-attendant Rugops has a weak jaw and skull. It's no killer.
它是天生的食腐者
It is a natural-born scavenger,
靠着吃高效捕猎者的食物残渣生存
living off the scraps of this highly-efficient predator.
我们可以大概猜到棘背龙的食物
We can assume so much about the diet of Spinosaurus
因为在棘背龙石化的牙齿上普遍发现
because its fossilised teeth are commonly found
有巨型锯鲛的残余
with the remains of the giant sawfish.
最近更多的发现似乎都提供着更多直接的证据
More recent discoveries appear to provide even more direct evidence.
2005年
In 2005,
在一副棘背龙的化石发现一条锯鲛的椎骨
a Spinosaur fossil was found with a sawfish vertebrae
插在牙槽里面
stuck in a tooth socket.
另一个在2008年的发现
Another, discovered in 2008,
一条锯鲛的羽支明显地嵌入了棘背龙的颌部
had a fragment of a sawfish barb apparently embedded in its jaw.
这些都明显说明了猎食与被猎食的关系
They suggested a clear predator-prey relationship.
棘背龙是这一带最大的捕食者
Spinosaurus is the region's biggest killer
因为它能很成功的开♥发♥自己的环境
because it can exploit an environment so successfully.
一种水生恐龙
A dinosaur at home in water.
一段时间 它的生存都没有受到其他恐龙威胁
For a time, it lived with little threat from other dinosaurs
这物种就进化成了17米长的巨型生物
and the species evolved into a 17-metre giant.
但棘背龙并不是这里唯一兴盛的巨型捕食者
But Spinosaurus wasn't the only giant predator which thrived here.
鲨齿龙 陆地上的捕食者
Carcharodontosaurus. Land-based killer.
肉食动物 极其残暴
A meat-eater. A carnosaur.
异特龙的表亲 但体型是异特龙的四倍
A cousin of Allosaurus, but four times bigger.
有着16厘米长的锯齿状牙齿
With serrated teeth 16 centimetres long,
鲨齿龙是巨型捕食者
Carcharodontosaurus was a giant killer.
达13米长且体重约7吨♥
Up to 13 metres long and weighing around seven tonnes.
像棘背龙一样 比霸王龙要大
Like Spinosaurus, it too was bigger than T Rex.
庞大的体型需要更大的领地
Big predators need big hunting ranges.
每条鲨齿龙需要达500平方公里的捕食范围
Carcharodontosaurus may have needed up to 500 square kilometres each,
好捕食场地总是竞争激烈
making competition for the best hunting grounds intense.
这两条年轻的雄鲨齿龙
These young, male Carcharodontosaurus
都想争夺这片领地的统治权
both want supremacy over this territory.