第2793期:Spiky dinosaur discovery

The animal is covered in spikes all over its back including some that are one metre long emerging from its neck. It also has a bony collar that wraps around its neck and what looks like a pointy mace-like weapon at the end of its tail. Professor Richard Butler of Birmingham University said it was the most exciting specimen he'd ever seen.这种动物的背部布满尖刺，其中一些从颈部伸出的尖刺长达一米。它的脖子上还有一个骨干环，尾巴末端有看起来像是一种和狼牙棒类似的尖锐武器。伯明翰大学的理查德·巴特勒教授表示，这是他所见过的最令人兴奋的恐龙标本。The discovery, which has been published in the journal Nature, turns current ideas – that armour evolved gradually in these animals over tens of millions of years – on their head. Instead, it suggests that the armour was elaborate to start with, possibly for mating and display, and then became simpler and possibly more effective as protection from predators, according to Professor Susannah Maidment of the Natural History Museum.这项发现，发表在《自然》杂志上，颠覆了目前已有的观点，即这些动物的铠甲是在数千万年的时间里逐渐进化形成的。正相反，这项发现表明这些铠甲一开始精巧复杂，可能是为了交配和求偶，而之后变得更加简单，可能成为了抵御捕食者的更有效的保护，这是自然历史博物馆苏珊娜·梅德门教授的观点。The ankylosaur is the oldest discovered to date and is the first to be found in Africa. The research team hope the specimen will be displayed to the public in Fez in Morocco.这种甲龙是迄今为止发现的最古老的、也是第一个在非洲被发现的甲龙。研究团队希望这个标本能在摩洛哥非斯向公众展出。