中英對照讀新聞》Fossils of ancient crocodile-like reptile found in Brazil 巴西發現遠古類鱷爬行動物化石

◎陳成良

A Brazilian scientist has identified fossils of a small crocodile-like reptile that lived during the Triassic Period several million years before the first dinosaurs.

1位巴西科學家鑑定出1種小型類鱷爬行動物的化石，該物種生存於三疊紀時期，比最早的恐龍還要早數百萬年。

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The fossils of the predator, called Parvosuchus aurelioi, include a complete skull, 11 vertebrae, the pelvis, and some limb bones, according to paleontologist Rodrigo Muller of the Federal University of Santa Maria in Rio Grande state, who authored the research published on Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports.

研究作者、里奧格蘭德州聖瑪麗亞聯邦大學的古生物學家羅德里戈‧穆勒稱，這種名為Parvosuchus aurelioi的掠食動物的化石包括完整頭骨、11節脊椎骨、骨盆以及部分肢骨。相關研究週四發表在《科學報告》期刊上。

Parvosuchus, which lived about 237 million years ago, walked on four legs and was about three feet (one meter) long, preying on smaller reptiles. The fossils were unearthed in southern Brazil. Parvosuchus, which means "small crocodile," belonged to an extinct family of reptiles called the Gracilisuchidae that until now was known only from Argentina and China.

Parvosuchus生存於約2.37億年前，為四足行走動物，體長約3英尺（1公尺），以較小型爬行動物為食。這些化石出土於巴西南部。Parvosuchus意為「小鱷魚」，屬於一個已滅絕的爬行動物科屬—優雅鱷科（Gracilisuchidae）。在此之前，該科屬的化石僅在阿根廷和中國發現。

新聞辭典

predator：名詞，掠食者、捕食者。例句：Lions are apex predators in the African savanna ecosystem.（獅子是非洲草原生態系統中的頂級掠食者。）

extinct：形容詞，滅絕的。例句：The dodo bird became extinct in the late 17th century due to human activities.（渡渡鳥因人類活動而於17世紀末滅絕。）