飞行巨兽（2011）

So, it was very, very lightweight.
所以 它非常非常的轻
The full extent of these cavities, is revealed by x-rays.
这些空腔的完整程度 是用X光照射后才看出来的
And a cross-section shows that they had another and very valuable function.
横截面表明 它们还有一个非常有价值的功能
This is the upper arm bone of a pterosaur.
这是翼龙的一只上臂骨
And at the top, it has a hole.
在它的上部有一个小洞
And that’s a clue, as to how they generated power.
这关系到它们是如何产生飞行动力的
Because it was connected by a tube to the lungs,
正是由于这里有血管连通肺部
and internally, to these cavities.
和骨头的空腔里
So, it was in there,
因此 翼龙可以
that the pterosaur was able to store air and the oxygen that it contained.
把空气中的氧储存在这里面
And from that, it could get the power when it really needed it.
当需要时 它们可以从里面提取出氧并转化为动力
With all these ingenious adaptations for flight,
有了这些巧妙的飞行设备
the pterosaurs now had the freedom of the skies.
翼龙才能自♥由♥地在天空飞翔
But, a new kind of flying reptile had been evolving away from the coast,
但是 一种新的会飞的爬行动物远离海岸
in the forests farther inland.
进入更远的内陆森林
And its arrival would have enormous consequences for the pterosaurs.
这种行为将会给翼龙带来不一样的未来
In that remarkable quarry in Germany,
在德国的一个露天采石场
another amazing discovery was made.
另一个惊人的发现即将面世
Among all those shellfish, shrimps and fish,
这里面所有的贝类 虾类和鱼类
something utterly new had appeared.
有一些新的东西出现了
There can be no doubt about what it is.
毫无疑问我们都知道它是什么
It’s a feather.
这是一根羽毛
And a few months after its discovery,
在它被发现的几个月后
a quarryman found the fossil of the animal
一个采石工人找到了这种动物的化石
to which it must have belonged.
是那根羽毛真正的拥有者
Its outstretched wings made it quite clear to anyone
它伸展双翼 十分明确地向人们说明了
that this was an animal that could fly.
这种动物确实会飞
They called it Archaeopteryx.
古生物学家称其为始祖鸟
And this is what it may have looked like in life.
这看起来就像是活着的一样
The feathers on its wings are strong and rigid.
它们翅膀上的羽毛既有力且坚固
So, they don’t need to be attached to the legs, as membranes do,
因此它们不需要像其它翼龙那样翅膀一直连到下肢
and it leaves the legs free, so that they could run.
它们的腿得以自♥由♥ 可以随意奔跑
The head doesn’t have a lightweight beak,
它们的头并没有像鸟类一样的
like modern birds.
较为轻的喙
But it’s still very much the head of a reptile
它们依然有着一个
with bony jaws and teeth in it.
带着颌骨和牙齿的头部
And, the tail, too,
还有 它们的尾巴
has a line of bones running down its legs,
顺着腿往下还有着一串的骨头
just like a lizard’s tail.
就像爬行动物的尾巴一样
So, this is half reptile, half bird.
因此 它一半像爬行动物一半像鸟类
We now know, that Archaeopteryx was not alone.
如今我们了解到了 始祖鸟并不是独一无二的
There were several different kinds of feathered reptiles
带着羽毛的爬行动物
living about this time.
在那时候还是有好几种的
Their skeletons are very rare, perhaps because they lived inland,
它们的骨骼是非常罕见的 也许是因为它们生活在内陆
where conditions for fossilization were not as good as they were
那里的石化条件远远要比
in the coastal seas.
沿海的要好很多
But it’s clear that the pterosaurs now had rivals in the sky.
很明显翼龙在空中还是有对手的
And, perhaps, in response,
也许 这对它们是有好处的
they began to evolve in some quite extraordinary ways.
它们开始寻求更多的能够生存下去的方法
In Texas, aeronautical engineers are trying to understand the pterosaur,
在德克萨斯州 航♥空♥工程师们试图了解翼龙
that is surely one of the oddest creatures that ever flew.
因为它们曾是最古老的能飞行的生物
It had a simply enormous head crest.
它有一个简单而巨大的头冠
It’s called Tapejara.
这是一只塔佩雅拉翼龙
This reconstruction of it is the result of seven years of study
这是生物学家桑卡尔查特吉博士
by evolutionary biologist Dr Sankar Chatterjee.
7年来的研究成果
He used data from fossils discovered in Brazil,
它用在巴西发现的化石的数据
and he has advanced some revolutionary theories
和它所拥有的先进理论
as to how this animal used its amazing body.
阐释了这种动物是如何运用其惊人的身体的
This huge crest
这个巨大的头冠
was developed in some kind, like a motion sensor,
被开♥发♥成了某种形式的运动传感器
so they could pick up if there’s a disturbance in the wind,
这样它们就可以在有风的情况下轻易起飞
and they could relay it to the inner ear,
这些信息可以传递到内耳
which is a very large ear,
这是一个非常大的传感器
and which is like a gyroscope.
就好比一个陀螺仪一样
So, nerves in this go down into the brain?
所以 神经把信息从这里传递到大脑
Brain.
没错
So, any factor working on this is going to be relayed to the brain.
因此 任何这方面的信息都会传递到大脑
Relayed to the…
传递到大脑
It’s almost like autopilot device.
这几乎就像是无人驾驶飞机
You know, it’s a sensor, also, it is a beautiful steering device.
你懂的 这是一个传感器 也是个完美的转向装置
This is much more extreme than any other.
它远远超过了其它的生物
Extreme. Right.
非常正确
So, what could this do that the others couldn’t do?
如此的话 有什么是它所独有的特点呢?
One of things, as I said, they could turn very quickly.
首先我要说的是 它们转向非常快
So it’s like steering, it’s like a rudder in front.
对于转向这方面来说 这就像是一个长在前面的舵
So, this enabled them in fact, to be more aerobatic?
那这能使它们在实际飞行时有更多技巧么
Aerobatic, yes.
没错 像特技飞行一样
ATTENBOROUGH: Some specimens of Tapejara show that it had fur.
爱登堡:一些塔佩雅拉翼龙的化石标本显示它们有毛皮
And that suggests that it was warm-blooded.
这也表明它们是温血动物
Warm blood enables an animal to generate the abundant energy
温血能使这些动物产生大量的能量
that’s needed for aerobatics.
用以表演特技一般的飞行
But, Dr Chatterjee has another
但是 查特吉博士
imaginative and controversial interpretation
对于塔佩雅拉翼龙奇怪的身体结构
of Tapejara’s bizarre anatomy.
有着另一种充满想象力的解释
What we have found special in this model, we did some simulations.
我们在这个模型里发现了许多特殊的地方 因此做了一些模拟
That is, when they simply raise their wing,
也就是说 当它们稍微抬高翅膀飞翔时
they could also sail.
它们也许可以飘游过海
You think that it could not only fly in the air,
您认为它们不仅可以在空中飞行
but it went down to sail on the sea, is that right?
还能够在海上航行 是么
There’s a very good chance
这样它们就有很多好的机会
when they land on water during their foraging,
在海面上觅食
because they are probably hot-blooded, they need lots of food, lots of fish.
因为它们要保持体温 所以需要大量的食物 大量的鱼
And during the foraging, maybe the whole daytime,
觅食的时间很可能是整个白天
you know, they will just eat and eat and eat.
你懂的 它们就只会吃 吃 吃
So, how to move? How to cover the large area?
所以 它们是怎样移♥动♥的 怎样才能穿越更长的旅程
And it looks like that it was a beautiful sailing animal.
它们就像一只美丽的在海上航行的动物
Just like a sail boat.
就像一艘远航的船
Did the head crest have a function when it was on the water?
当它在水上的时候 头上的冠有作用吗
I think so.
我想应该是有的
Basically, when they’re sailing, the head crest would be
实际上 当它们航行的时候 头上的冠会
just like a jib, you know, the very front sail of a sailing boat.
像船头的那个三角帆一样
And these two would be the main sail.
这两个就像是船的主要的帆
And simply by, you know, arranging these three sails,
简单地说 通过调整这三个帆
they could really sail very fast.
它们可以航行得非常快
ATTENBOROUGH: Swans and geese today sometimes lift their wings,
爱登堡：天鹅如今展翅高飞
to catch gusts of air.
去搏击长空
A behaviour called ‘goose-winging”.
这种行为被称为 天鹅展翅
So perhaps, Tapejara did indeed do something similar.
或许 翼龙也在做相似的事
But big head crests had a much more likely function.
但是那个很大的头冠还有更大的用处
There are clues of what that might be in animals alive today.
这些线索很可能在现在的动物身上找到
Like this colony of gannets on Bass Rock,
就像充满低音摇滚的塘鹅的殖民地一般
off the coast of Scotland.
远离了苏格兰的海岸
Pterosaurs doubtless
翼龙无疑
would have lived in great groups around the ancient coastlines.
曾经有很大一部分群体生活在古老的海岸线上
And living in tightly packed communities,
而且是关系紧密的群落
then, as now,
现在看来
must have led to all kinds of dramas.
就像在上演各种各样的戏剧一样
Just as it does in communities like this one.
就像这些鸟儿如今的生活一样
Gannets nesting close to one another
塘鹅筑巢时 彼此靠得很近
squabble with their neighbours over food and territory.
时常为食物和领土和它们的邻居争吵
Pterosaurs doubtless also competed with one another,
翼龙无疑也会相互竞争
for the attentions of the opposite sex.
例如为了吸引异性的注意力
So, perhaps Tapejara
所以 翼龙或许
used its huge head crest in displays to its mate
它把那个巨大的头冠展示给异性
during the breeding season.
这将贯穿整个繁殖季节
And indulged in the same sort of strutting performances
它们沉醉于这一类活灵活现的表演当中
that so many birds do today.
现在也还有很多鸟类是这样做的
After their courtship, pterosaurs, just like birds, laid eggs.
在求爱成功后 翼龙就像鸟类一样 产卵
This fossilized egg,
这个化石蛋
which is about the same size as one of these gannet eggs,
大小跟鸬鹚蛋的大小差不多