十種已經滅絕了的神奇動物(上)

Mother Nature and humankind have obliterated countless species. Survival of the fittest has led to the extinction of some rather astounding creatures. None can last forever, but it's a shame we'll never see some of the most magnificently unique in person.

大自然母親以及人類活動已使得很多物種滅絕。"適者生存"淘汰了相當一些令人驚歎的生物。沒有東西能長存。可惜的是我們不能親眼見證這些獨特的神奇動物了。

ladapis Edwarsi

10.巨狐猴

Though they weren't named until 1894, koala lemurs existed long ago during the late Pliocene to the Holocene period. Scientists believed they might be related to modern lemurs. However, fossil testing revealed no relation between the small Lepilemur and extinct Megaladapis edwarsi, which had a skull the size of a gorilla's.

直到1894年被正式命名時，巨狐猴早已度過它們在地球的生活，現已滅絕。它們存活的時間最早可追溯到上新世晚期到全新世。科學家們認爲現代狐猴可能爲巨狐猴後代。然而，化石檢測結果顯示小鼬狐猴與已滅絕的巨狐猴並無任何關係。巨狐猴的頭骨大小與大猩猩頭骨大小相同。

Megaladapis edwarsi grew to 1.5 meters long (5 ft), and weighed up to approximately 75 kilograms (165 lb), possibly more. Its arms were longer than its legs, and they were made for climbing trees. It was too large to leap, and likely spent most of its life on the ground. Megaladapis edwarsi could have traveled on all fours much like an ns arrived in Madagascar about 2,000 years ago. Since then, 17 known species of lemur have gone extinct. Megaladapis edwarsi is among the most notable because of its size. Being so large made it slow and easy to hunt. Radiocarbon dating shows these koala lemurs went extinct following European settlement on Madagascar; the last one died about 500 years ago.

巨狐猴身長可至1.5米，體重可達約75公斤或者更重。因爲要爬樹，所以它們的手臂生得比腿還要長。由於體型較大，巨狐猴無法自由地在樹間跳躍，因此它們極有可能只是生活在地面上。就像猩猩一樣，巨狐猴可能是四足並用地走路。大約2千年前，人類的足跡漸現於馬達加斯加島。自那時起，17種已知的狐猴種類開始走向滅絕。由於體型原因，巨狐猴是這些滅絕的狐猴中最引人注意的。它們相對於其他狐猴種類較大的體型使它們行動緩慢，因而更容易被捕獵。放射性碳年代測定法顯示，自歐洲殖民者侵入，巨狐猴就開始滅絕。最後一隻巨狐猴死於大約500年前。

t Australian Python--Wonambi Naracoortensis

9.澳大利亞巨蟒——沃那比蛇

Wonambi naracoortensis lived during the Pliocene epoch in Australia. "Wonambi" is the Aboriginal word for "rainbow serpent." This enormous snake lacked the jaw flexibility of most evolved snakes. The most advanced snakes can disarticulate their jaws, while lizards have zero jaw flexibility. This means the wonambi was, in evolutionary terms, at a phase between the lizard and the modern snake. The wonambi skull resembles fossils of the Cretaceous period more closely than the skull of any modern snake.

沃那比蛇生活在上新世時期的澳大利亞。"Wonambi"在當地土著語中是"彩虹之蛇"的意思。與大多數進化到現代的蛇類相比，澳大利亞巨蟒並不具備靈活的下頜。最高級的蛇類能夠完全放鬆下頜，而蜥蜴卻恰恰與此相反。這就意味着，從進化學看，沃那比蛇生存於蜥蜴跟現代蛇類的中間期。與現代蛇類頭骨相比，沃那比蛇的頭骨大小與白堊紀時期的蛇類頭骨大小更爲相似。

This non-venomous wonambi grew more than 4.5 meters (15 ft) long. It had recurved teeth without fangs, and constricted its prey. Most scientific estimates peg extinction at 40,000 years ago, though it's possible they could have survived to as recently as 7,000 years ago. Similarities to other extinct snakes in South America and Africa suggest a common ancestor from the days of Pangaea. Something tells me none of them were ever house pet material.

沃那比蛇是一種無毒蛇，它們身長可超過4.5米。沃那比蛇的牙齒內彎而無尖，用以困住獵物。很多科學家猜測沃那比蛇滅絕於4萬年前，然而另一種猜測則宣稱沃那比蛇可能滅絕於約7千年前。南美與非洲大陸上已滅絕蛇類的相似處說明它們可能擁有生活在泛大陸時期的共同祖先。而這些蛇類沒有一種適合當做寵物飼養。

uinus Impennis

8.大海雀

The great auk was a whimsical black and white flightless bird. Nicknamed "the original penguin," it stood about 1 meter (3 ft) tall and had tiny 15-centimeter (6 in) wings. Hundreds of thousands—possibly millions—thrived in North Atlantic ocean waters for centuries. They lived near places such as Scotland, Norway, Canada, the US, and France, but only ventured onto land to breed.

大海雀是一種黑白毛色的古怪的鳥——它們不會飛。另稱"原始企鵝"的大海雀身高1米，它們的翅膀只有15釐米長。幾個世紀以來，上萬，不，或許有好幾百萬的大海雀生活在北大西洋沿岸。它們生活的水域靠近蘇格蘭、挪威、加拿大、美國和法國，但只有在繁衍的季節它們纔會飛到內陸。

Great auks became highly valued in the 1700s. They'd been hunted for thousands of years, but during this period the killing spiraled out of control. Valuable feathers, pelts, meat, oil, and 13-centimeter (5 in) eggs tempted hunters and collectors. Great auks became endangered, and their rarity only heightened demand. On July 3, 1844, Sigurour Isleifsson and two other men visited the last breeding colony on Iceland's Eldey Island. A mother was incubating her egg with her mate nearby. Two of the men strangled the live birds, and the third crushed the egg with his boot. The destructive trio had been hired by a merchant to hunt the birds. The great auks they asphyxiated were the last mating pair ever seen. The last known live great auk was spotted in 1852 at The Grand Banks of Newfoundland, Canada.

在18世紀，大海雀被高價懸賞。儘管之前也有人捕殺大海雀，但在這個時期，大海雀的捕殺數量和速度已經開始不受控制。大海雀的羽毛、表皮、肉、脂肪以及它們13釐米長的蛋無不吸引着收藏家們和捕獵者。大海雀瀕臨滅絕，但它們的罕有卻使得對它們的市場需求進一步上升。1844年7月3日，席谷拉·艾斯雷森（Sigurour Isleifsson）和另外兩人探訪了大海雀在冰島埃爾德島的棲息地，這也是世界上最後一個大海雀的棲息地。雌鳥正在雄鳥的看護下孵化鳥蛋。兩人將活鳥生生扼死，剩下一人則將孵化中的鳥蛋給踩碎。他們正是受僱於某商人來捕殺大海雀的。他們所捕殺的是世上已知的最後一對成雙的大海雀。有人最後一次目擊到活着的大海雀是在1852年，現於加拿大紐芬蘭島的大淺灘。

mburgk's Deer

7.熊氏鹿

Plentiful numbers of Schomburgk's deer once roamed Thailand. The animal was described and named in 1863, after the British consul of Bangkok at the time, Sir Robert H. Schomburgk. It's estimated to have gone extinct in the 1930s. Some believe the deer still lives, but scientific observations have not validated this assertion.

曾有大量的熊氏鹿活躍在泰國。熊氏鹿在1863年時被描述入冊，並以當時曼谷的英國領事羅伯特·朔姆布爾克閣下（Robert H. Schomburgk）命名。人們猜測熊氏鹿可能是在1930年間滅絕的。也有一些人相信熊氏鹿依然存活，但並沒有任何科學證據驗證這一說明。

Schomburgk's deer antlers were believed to contain powers of magic and healing. The species became widely sought after by hunters, and fell victim to the traditional medicine trade. During floods, they gathered at high points; this made them especially easy to kill. Boaters targeted them when they had nowhere to run. Human settlement and commercial agriculture destroyed much of their last wild Schomburgk's deer was killed in 1932. The last domesticated one died in 1938. Interestingly, in 1991, UN agronomist Laurent Chazee photographed a pair of antlers at a traditional medicine shop in Laos. The antlers were later identified as Schomburgk's deer antlers.

人們認爲熊氏鹿的鹿角擁有魔法以及治癒的能力。因此，熊氏鹿成爲了獵人們追逐的目標，也是傳統醫藥交易的熱門商品。洪水期間，熊氏鹿會躲避到高處，這使得它們更容易受到捕殺。當它們在洪水茫茫中無處可逃時，船工們輕而易舉地就能捕到它們。人類定居和商業性農業生產破壞了大多數熊氏鹿的棲息地。最後一隻野生熊氏鹿在1932年時被捕殺。而最後一隻被馴養的熊氏鹿則死於1938年。有趣的是，在1991年，聯合國農學家勞倫特·查斯（Laurent Chazee）拍攝了一家老撾的中藥房擺放的鹿角。這雙鹿角之後被確認爲熊氏鹿的鹿角。

ican Giant Galliwasp

6.牙買加巨草蜥

The last recorded sighting of a Jamaican giant galliwasp occurred in 1840. Also known as a sinking galliwasp, it grew to around 60 centimters (2 ft) long and terrified locals. Its extinction was likely due to the introduction of predators—such as the mongoose—in Jamaica. Habitat destruction by humans may have also played a part in their elimination.

登記在冊，人們最後一次見到牙買加巨蜥時是在1840年。它們也被稱作"下沉的巨蜥"，牙買加巨草蜥可長至60釐米，而這造成了當地人的恐懼。牙買加巨草蜥的滅絕可能是由於牙買加境內捕食者的引入，例如貓鼬。人類對它們棲息地的破壞也可能是其滅絕的原因。

Galliwasps are a subject of fables. Jamaican natives believe the animal is venomous. After a bite, legend explains, the galliwasp and the person who was bitten will head for water. The first to reach it will live. The other will die. This is no longer a worry pertaining specifically to the Jamaican giant galliwasp, though. This species is believed to have gone extinct more than a century ago. Very little is known about this swamp-dwelling lizard, though we can tell it ate fish and fruit. Few specimens exist today. Bleached and preserved Jamaican giant galliwasps are kept at a small number of museums.

牙買加巨草蜥一直是寓言的主題。當地人認爲牙買加巨草蜥是劇毒的。寓言說，被牙買加巨草蜥咬後，被咬的人與咬人的蜥蜴都會朝水中走去。前者到達水源後會死，而後者則會活下來。然而現在人們已不對牙買加巨草蜥感到恐懼。牙買加巨草蜥可能在一個世紀前就已滅絕。人們對這種居於沼澤的蜥蜴知之甚少，但可以確定的是牙買加巨草蜥吃的是魚類和水果。很少牙買加巨草蜥的標本能留存今日。經過漂白等程序保存下來的牙買加巨草蜥標本只有少數幾個博物館保有。

翻譯:敖-有沒 來源：前十網