在法国的一个山洞顶上发现了巨大的恐龙脚印

在法国的一个山洞顶上发现了巨大的恐龙脚印

Heads up! Scientists have discovered the prehistoric footprints of a colossal dinosaur on the roof of a cave in France. Nope, this doesn't mean that giant dinosaurs were dancing on the ceilings of caves like a sticky-footed Spiderman, although it goes to show the wealth of prehistoric discoveries that could be found lurking in the geology all around us.

小心!科学家们在法国一个洞穴的屋顶上发现了史前巨型恐龙的脚印。不，这并不意味着巨型恐龙像粘足蜘蛛侠一样在洞穴的天花板上跳舞，尽管它显示了隐藏在我们周围的地质中史前发现的财富。

Recently reported in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, researchers from the University of Burgundy–Franche-Comté discovered the three dinosaur trackways during an expedition in 2015 around the labyrinth-like Castelbouc Cave beneath the Causse Méjean plateau in southern France.

最近发表在《脊椎动物古生物学杂志》上的一篇文章称，2015年，法国南部的科斯梅让高原下，在迷宫般的Castelbouc洞穴附近，来自勃艮第-弗朗什-孔德大学的研究人员在一次探险中发现了这三条恐龙足迹。

The tracks, made some 166 million to 168 million years ago, are extremely well-preserved, complete with impressions of digits, pads, and even claws. At a stonking 1.25 meters (4 feet) long, the prints belonged to some of the largest known dinosaurs worldwide.

这些足迹大约形成于1.66亿至1.68亿年前，保存极为完好，留下了足趾、脚垫甚至爪子的印痕。这些石印长1.25米(4英尺)，属于世界上已知的一些最大的恐龙。

Tom Hale

It’s not certain what species of sauropod was responsible for the tracks, not least because they date to an age in the Middle Jurassic when sauropod evolution is hazy. However, their size suggests they might have belonged to a titanosaur, a diverse group of long-necked sauropods that includes the largest land animals known to have ever existed, such as the 37-meter-long (121-foot) Patagotitan that roamed southern Argentina.

目前还不确定是什么种类的蜥脚类动物留下了这些足迹，尤其是因为它们可以追溯到中侏罗世，那时蜥脚类动物的进化还很模糊。然而，它们的大小表明它们可能属于泰坦巨龙，这是一群不同的长颈蜥脚类动物，包括已知存在过的最大的陆地动物，比如漫步在阿根廷南部的37米长(121英尺)的Patagotitan。

So, how did these gentle giants' footprints end up on the cave roof? Back when sauropods was treading the Earth, the site was on the planet’s surface, but geological processes have since buried the sediments over the course of millions of years. With a bit of luck, the processes create a scenario where it appears the impression of the feet is embossed on the ceiling.

那么，这些温和的巨人的脚印是如何留在洞穴顶部的呢?早在蜥脚类动物踏足地球的时候，这个地方就在地球的表面，但是地质过程已经掩埋了沉积物数百万年了。幸运的是，这个过程创造了一个场景，脚的印象似乎是压印在天花板上。

Reaching this portion of the cave nowadays is not so easy. The tracks are found some 500 meters (1,640 feet) beneath Earth’s surface, only accessible after traversing a winding network of caverns that are often flooded with water after rainy spells. As the researchers note, finding dinosaur tracks in this kind of environment is extremely rare, but it suggests that the scarcely explored caves of the world could be home to much more paleolithic treasures than thought.

如今要到达这个洞穴的这一部分并不容易。这些轨道位于地表以下约500米(1640英尺)处，只有穿过一个蜿蜒的洞穴网络才能到达，而这些洞穴在雨季过后经常被水淹没。正如研究人员所指出的，在这种环境下发现恐龙足迹是极其罕见的，但这表明，几乎没有人探索过的世界洞穴可能是旧石器时代宝藏的家园，比人们想象的要多得多。

“This discovery demonstrates the great potential of prospecting in deep karst caves that can occasionally offer larger and better-preserved surfaces than outdoor outcrops,” the study authors write.

研究报告的作者写道:“这一发现显示了在深层溶洞中进行勘探的巨大潜力，与户外露头相比，深层溶洞有时能提供更大、保存更完好的地表。”

It’s not the first time dinosaur footprints in unusual circumstances have been discovered though. Back in February, researchers published another paper documenting a set of smaller dinosaur tracks imprinted on the roof of a cave near Mount Morgan in Queensland, Australia, and curious footprints found in a Texas quarry seem to suggest these giant dinosaurs traveled in water by punting themselves along the bottom.

不过，这并不是第一次在不寻常的环境中发现恐龙脚印。今年2月，研究人员发表了另一篇论文，记录了在澳大利亚昆士兰州摩根山附近的一个洞穴顶部留下的一组较小的恐龙脚印，而在德克萨斯州的一个采石场发现的奇怪脚印似乎表明，这些巨型恐龙是通过在底部撑船在水中行走的。