史前鸟肉搏力量彪悍过人 翅膀好似棍棒

　　According to the Eurekalert.com on January 4, paleontologists at Yale University and the Smithsonian Institution have discovered that Xenicibis, a kind of flightless prehistoric bird that lived about ten thousand years ago and was found only in Jamaica, most likely used its specialized wings like a flail, swinging its upper arm and striking its enemies with its thick hand bones。

　　"No animal has ever evolved anything quite like this," said Nicholas Longrich of Yale, who led the research. "We don't know of any other species that uses its body like a flail. It's the most specialized weaponry of any bird I've ever seen."

　　The researchers analyzed a number of recently discovered partial skeletons of Xenicibis and found that the wings were drastically different from anything they'd seen before. "When I first saw it, I assumed it was some sort of deformity," Longrich said. "No one could believe it was actually that bizarre."

　　Xenicibis also had a much larger breastbone and longer wings than most flightless birds. "That was our first clue that the wings were still being used for something," Longrich said。

　　The team found that two of the wing bones showed evidence of combat, including a fractured hand bone and a centimeter-thick upper arm bone that was broken in half. The damage is proof of the extreme force the birds were able to wield with their specialized wings, Longrich said. It's also possible that the birds used their club-like wings to defend themselves against other species that might have preyed on the birds' eggs or young。

　　据国外网站"the Eurekalert.com" 1月4日报道，美国耶鲁大学和史密森学会的古生物学学者发现，一种生活在一万年前不会飞的史前鸟类奇异朱鹭(Xenicibis)最喜欢利用自己长的像连枷的翅膀。在争斗中，它们会用力拍打翅膀，用厚厚的掌骨攻击敌人。奇异朱鹭的栖息地只有一个，那就是牙买加。

　　负责此次研究的是耶鲁大学的尼古拉斯•朗里奇博士，他表示：“其他鸟类并未进化出这种特征。我们并不清楚其他任何鸟类种群是否将身体充当连枷。这是我见过的鸟类家族中最特殊的武器。”

　　研究者对新近发现的部分奇异朱鹭骨骼进行分析，发现它们的翅膀和以前发现的其他鸟类的翅膀有着巨大的差异。朗里奇说：“第一次发现这种特征时，我还以为是某种畸形。这是一个非常怪异的特征，没有人相信会是真的。”

　　与绝大多数不会飞的鸟类相比，奇异朱鹭的胸骨更大，翅膀更长。朗里奇说：“这是我们发现的第一个线索，证明翅膀曾被用作武器。”

　　研究小组发现的两个翅骨带有争斗留下的痕迹。其中一个是手骨，已经骨折，另一个是1厘米厚的上臂骨，已经断为两截。朗里奇表示这些损伤说明奇异朱鹭的翅膀拥有强大的力量。科学家认为，除了展开攻击外，它们像棍棒一样的翅膀也用于保护鸟蛋和幼仔，使其免遭捕食者袭击。