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Scientists in Chile have discovered the bones of a dinosaur they say used its unusual tail as a deadly weapon.
智利科学家发现了一只恐龙的骨骼。他们称这只恐龙将其不同寻常的尾巴用作致命武器。
Researchers say the dog-sized creature had a tail weapon unlike those seen on any other animal.
研究人员表示，这种生物与狗一般大，拥有不同于任何其他动物的尾巴武器。
The tail had a series of "blades" on each side that could be used to cut its enemies.
它的尾巴两侧各有一系列的“刀片”，可以用来切开它的敌人。
At first, the scientists thought the plant-eating dinosaur might have belonged to a similar species called stegosaurus.
起初，科学家们认为这种食草恐龙可能属于一种名为剑龙的类似物种。
But after studying pieces of skull and examining DNA, the scientists decided the dinosaur must be from a new species.
但在研究了头骨碎片和检测了DNA后，科学家们断定这只恐龙一定来自一个新物种。
The researchers named the dinosaur stegouros because of its similarities to stegosaurus.
因为这种恐龙与剑龙有相似之处，所以研究人员将其命名为stegosaurus。
The find is described in a study recently published in Nature.
最近发表在《自然》杂志上的一项研究描述了这一发现。
Alex Vargas was the lead writer of the study.
亚历克斯·瓦尔加斯是这项研究的主要作者。
He told The Associated Press that the animal's blade-like tail could be used as a cutting weapon similar to those used by Aztec warriors.
他告诉美联社，这种动物的刀片状尾巴可以用作切割武器，类似于阿兹特克勇士使用的武器。
"It's a really unusual weapon," said Vargas, a scientist with the University of Chile.
瓦尔加斯说：“这真的是一种非同寻常的武器”。他是智利大学的科学家。
He said information on the species should be added to books on prehistoric animals for children.
他说，史前动物类的儿童书籍中应该添加该物种的相关信息。
"It just looks crazy,"Vargas added.
瓦尔加斯还说：“这看起来太疯狂了”。
The bones, or fossil, is from about 72 million to 75 million years ago, the team said.
研究小组称，这些骨骼或化石来自大约7200万到7500万年前。
Researchers believe the animal is part of the ankylosaur family of dinosaurs.
研究人员认为这种动物属于甲龙类的恐龙家族。
They are believed to have walked the Earth throughout the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
据信，在侏罗纪和白垩纪时期，它们一直在地球上行走。
The scientists say the dinosaur must have been a rare southern hemisphere member of the family.
科学家们表示，这只恐龙一定是南半球罕见的甲龙类恐龙。
Vargas called it "the lost family branch of the ankylosaur."
瓦尔加斯称之为“甲龙失落的家族分支。”
The fossil appears to be an adult based on the way the bones are connected, Vargas said.
瓦尔加斯说，根据骨骼连接的方式，这块化石似乎是一只成年恐龙。
It was found with its front end flat on its stomach.
它被发现时，它的前端平伏在腹部。
The back end sat at a lower level, almost as if caught in sand, he added.
他还说，后端位置较低，几乎就像被沙子困住了。
The tail was probably used as a defense against large predators.
它的尾巴可能是用来防御大型捕食者的。
Vargas said the animal's enemies were also likely persuaded not to attack by armor-like bones that made stegouros "chewy."
瓦尔加斯说，这种动物的骨骼类似盔甲，很“耐嚼”，它的敌人也因此不去攻击它。
Not only is this "a really bizarre tail," but it is from far southern Chile, said Macalester College biologist Kristi Curry Rogers.
玛卡莱斯特学院生物学家克里斯蒂·库里·罗杰斯说，这不仅是“一条非常奇怪的尾巴”，而且它来自智利的遥远南部。
She was not part of the study.
她没有参与这项研究。
Rogers said discoveries of that kind of animal have not been made in the area before.
罗杰斯说，该地区以前从未发现过这种动物。
She added that the finding shows that scientists are "just scratching the surface" when it comes to understanding the many different kinds of dinosaur species.
她还说，这一发现表明，当涉及对许多不同种类的恐龙物种的理解时，科学家们“只是触及了皮毛”。
"Stegouros reminds us that if we look in the right places at the right times, there is so much more still to discover."
“Stegouros提醒我们，如果我们在正确的时间和正确的地点寻找，还有更多的东西有待发现。”
I'm Bryan Lynn.
布莱恩·林恩为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
