這些牙齒在霸王龍化石附近被發(fā)現(xiàn)。
But were the teeth broken during a battle, or couldthe Nanotyrannus have simply found the dead T-Rexand lost them scavenging on his remains?
但是它們是在戰(zhàn)斗中脫落的,還是矮暴龍找到了霸王龍尸體進食的時候掉下了的呢?
The prehistoric scene again provides some clues.
史前的場景再次提供了一些線索。
It is estimated that between 75 and maybe 90% ofthe baby Tyrannosaurus Rex was found.
據(jù)估計人們找到了幼年霸王龍百分之七十五到九十的身體。
If Nanotyrannus had been scavenging it for food, then we would expect that the majority ofthe bones would have been gone,
如果矮暴龍是找到并進食其尸體這種情況下,大部分骨頭都會不見,
or at least the skeleton would been torn up and disarticulated.
最起碼骨架應該被撕開并且變形。
But the fact that so much of the skeleton remained,
不過因為骨架的大部分都完好,
and the pieces were found in relative proximity to each other tells me that Nanotyrannus wasbiting the baby T-Rex, but not eating it.
而且找到的骨頭相互位置相對合適,這說明矮暴龍咬了幼霸王龍但是并沒有吃它。
But why would a Nanotyrannus risk its life to attack a juvenile T-Rex but not eat it?
不過為什么矮暴龍會冒生命危險去攻擊幼霸王龍卻又不吃它呢?
Competition between predators has existed from the beginning of time.
掠食者間的競爭從一開始就已經(jīng)存在。
Being able to out-compete your opponent is a way to insure your survival.
能夠在競爭中勝出對手是保證生存之道。
Being faster, smarter or stronger gives you a competitive edge,
更快速、更聰明或更強壯能讓動物具有競爭優(yōu)勢,
but in the case of Nanotyrannus, he could never compete with an adult Tyrannosaurus Rex.
不過對于矮暴龍來說,它絕不會跟成年雷克斯暴龍競爭。
It has no chance of killing an adult, so killing a baby is what it needed to do to survive.
要殺死成年霸王龍,它絕無機會,所以它為了生存需要殺死幼霸王龍。
But why it didn't eat it remains a mystery.
不過為什么它沒有吃掉尸體是個謎。
Perhaps it was buried very quickly after death and the Nano just didn't have time to eat it,
也許是因為尸體在死后很快被埋上了,矮暴龍沒有時間吃掉它,
or maybe something interrupted him before he could take advantage of that potential meal.
也許是有什么事情打斷了它因而沒來得及享用這頓美餐。