Prehistoric¹ sea monster skull² found on English coast英格兰海岸发现史前巨型海洋生物头骨化石

考古学家们在英格兰多塞特郡侏罗纪海岸的悬崖上发现了一只巨型海洋古生物的头骨化石。

The two-metre-long skull of the pliosaur is exquisitely preserved. Its crocodile-like snout is filled with dozens of razor-sharp teeth, and huge holes in its jaws³ would have been packed out with muscle, giving it an incredibly powerful bite.

这只上龙的头骨化石长两米，保存得极为完好。它形似鳄鱼的口鼻上长满了几十颗锋利的牙齿，颌骨间的大洞里曾长满了肌肉，这给了它极其强大的咬合力。

Growing to more than twelve metres, about the same length as a double decker bus, this Jurassic beast would have terrorised the oceans, even feasting on other pliosaurs.

身长超过12米，相当于一辆双层巴士的长度，这只侏罗纪野兽曾在海洋里横行霸道，甚至以其它上龙为食。

The fossil was unearthed from the dark clays of Kimmeridge Bay in Dorset. Its excavation⁴ from a crumbling cliff face was followed by a BBC team for a documentary with Sir David Attenborough.

这块头骨化石从英格兰多塞特郡金默里奇湾的深色黏土中被取出。与大卫·爱登堡爵士一起合作拍摄相关题材纪录片的英国广播公司摄制组记录了这次在摇摇欲坠的悬崖表面上开展的挖掘工作。

But there may be more of this sea monster to come. The pliosaur's body is still thought to be embedded in the rock. The hope is that in time the rest of its skeleton will also be recovered.

未来可能还会有更多这只海洋怪兽的化石被人发现。因为人们认为这只上龙的身体还埋在岩石中，所以希望它的其余骨骼化石也能在不久的未来被找到。

词汇表

exquisitely 极度地，精美完好地
snout （一些动物突出的）口鼻部
packed out 长满了
terrorised （曾经）横行霸道
unearthed 被取出
crumbling 摇摇欲坠的
embedded 嵌入…之中的