世界罕见！河北惊现1.3亿年前恐龙化石，保存程度近100%

9月7日，河北省自然资源厅召开新闻发布会称，在承德丰宁满族自治县首次发现两具1.3亿多年前“热河生物群”植食性恐龙化石，一只为新属种，属于较为原始的角龙类，全身骨骼保存近乎完整，是填补角龙类恐龙演化发展“断链”的重要一环；一只属于剑龙类，骨骼、皮肤印痕保存近100%，其保存面积和完整程度世界罕见。

About 130 million years ago, a bipedal dinosaur walked in what is now Jiecaigou, a village in Chengde, Hebei province.

Along with a second dinosaur, its fossilized remains were unearthed and restored, the Department of Natural Resources of Hebei said last week, and the discovery has provided valuable evidence for the evolution of its species — ceratosaurus.

Both of the dinosaurs were herbivorous, with one belonging to a more primitive ceratosaurus while the other a stegosaurus, the department said at a news conference on Thursday.

bipedal dinosaur [ˌbaɪˈpiːdl ˈdaɪnəsɔːr] 两足恐龙

ceratosaurus [ˌsɛrətoʊˈsɔːrəs] 角龙

herbivorous [ɜːrˈbɪvərəs] 食草的

stegosaurus [ˌsteɡə'sɔrəs] 剑龙

据了解，此次发现的两具恐龙，是化石保护相关工作人员在巡查过程中，发现部分裸露的化石骨骼，为避免次生破坏，经自然资源部批准，进行了抢救性挖掘修复。

其中，角龙类恐龙为较原始的角龙类，体长约1米，全身骨骼保存近乎完整。国家古生物化石专家委员会委员张福成教授介绍，一般认为角龙类恐龙演化由原始到成熟过程中，头上逐渐出现大型角等头饰，行走方式也从两足转向四足。出自早白垩世地层，两足行走、具有微弱的头饰结构，恰好处于这一转变的中间位置，是填补角龙类恐龙演化发展“断链”的重要一环。

The ceratosaurus' fossil, measuring about 1 meter in length, was discovered from the early Cretaceous strata.

Its bones were nearly intact, revealing it to be bipedal with a little headdress structure. It fills a gap in the evolutionary history and development of the ceratosaurus, according to Zhang Fucheng, a member of China's national expert panel on paleontology and fossils.

The ceratosaurus is one of the most diverse groups within the dinosaur family. They have a wide range of species and complex morphologies, which makes studying them quite challenging, according to Zhang.

During the early stages of evolution approximately 100 million to 170 million years ago, the primitive ceratosaurus had relatively smaller body sizes and simpler body structures. For example, they didn't have the distinctive shieldlike structures on the head that are commonly seen in their descendants, Zhang said.

But about 66 million to 100 million years ago, the simple-looking ceratosaurus transformed into massive four-legged beasts. Some of them also developed large horns or other ornamental or functional structures on their heads.

The ceratosaurus dinosaur fossil discovered in Jiecaigou came from layers dating back about 130 million years ago. It exhibits a faint structure on the head, placing it in an intermediate position during this transition.

shieldlike ['ʃiːldlaɪk] adj. 似盾的

horn [hɔːrn] （某些动物头上的）角羽，耳羽

ornamental [ˌɔːrnəˈmentl] adj. 装饰性的  

剑龙类恐龙化石全身骨骼完整、清晰可辨，是“热河生物群”以及河北省境内首次发现剑龙类恐龙，体长约5米，比河北省内以往发现的其他恐龙都要大得多；也是首次在河北及“热河生物群”核心区域内发现，说明早白垩世时期中国北方依然有剑龙类恐龙活动。值得一提的是，该剑龙类恐龙保存有完整的皮肤印痕，其保存面积和完整程度世界罕见，对于认识剑龙类恐龙乃至所有恐龙的体表特征、生理机能以及早白垩世时期地理环境、气候变化具有重要的意义。开展对它的修复工作对于揭示剑龙形态特点、时空分布、骨板的作用，以及剑龙灭绝与环境变化的关系等科学问题具有重要作用。

The stegosaurus fossil, measuring about 5 meters long, has a nearly complete skeleton and skin.

It's the first time a stegosaurus fossil has been discovered in Hebei, and it is much bigger than other dinosaur fossils unearthed in the province.

The completeness of its skin could be the largest in the world, Zhang said.

"It is of great significance for us to know of the body surface characteristics and physiological functions of stegosaurus or even all dinosaurs, as well as the geographical environment and climate change of the early Cretaceous period," he said.

The fossils were first discovered in 2017, when two leg bones were found.

Cretaceous period [krɪˈteɪʃɪs ˈpɪriəd] 白垩纪

目前，河北承德恐龙化石修复项目已经完成，后续化石发掘修复团队将根据化石标本，制作等比例的3D复原模型，并开展相关科研、科普工作。

At present, the fossils' restoration work has been completed, according to Hebei's natural resources department. For the next step, a real-size 3D model of them will be made and related research will get underway.

"Paleontological fossil resources are extremely valuable natural heritage with significant scientific and societal value as they enable us to understand and learn about the past," said Wang Mingcai, deputy head of the department.

Paleontological  [ˌpeɪliɒnˈtɒlədʒi] 古生物学的

记者：张余

编辑：商桢

来源：中国日报 央视新闻客户端