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Huge ‘sea dragon’ named one of UK’s greatest fossil finds
巨大的 "海龙 "被评为英国最伟大的化石发现之一
A gigantic prehistoric “sea dragon” discovered in the Midlands has been described as one of the greatest finds in the history of British palaeontology. The ichthyosaur, which is about 180m years old with a skeleton measuring about 10 metres in length and a skull weighing about a tonne, is the largest and most complete fossil of its kind ever found in the UK. Joe Davis of the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust discovered it during the routine draining of a lagoon island at the Rutland Water reservoir in February 2021.
在中部地区发现的一个巨大的史前 "海龙 "被描述为英国古生物学历史上最伟大的发现之一。这条鱼龙距今约1.8亿年，骨架长约10米，头骨重约1吨，是英国迄今为止发现的同类化石中最大和最完整的。莱斯特郡和拉特兰野生动物信托基金的乔·戴维斯在2021年2月对拉特兰水库的一个泻湖岛进行例行排水时发现了它。
The first ichthyosaurs, which are called sea dragons because they tend to have very large teeth and eyes, were discovered by the fossil hunter and palaeontologist Mary Anning in the early 19th century. Dean Lomax, a palaeontologist who has studied the species, said: “Despite the many ichthyosaur fossils found in Britain, it is remarkable to think that the Rutland ichthyosaur is the largest skeleton ever found in the UK. It is a truly unprecedented discovery and one of the greatest finds in British palaeontological history.”
第一批鱼龙，是由化石猎人和古生物学家玛丽·安宁在19世纪初发现的，它们往往有非常大的牙齿和眼睛而被称为海龙。研究过该物种的古生物学家迪恩·洛马克斯说。"尽管在英国发现了许多鱼龙化石，但想到拉特兰的鱼龙是在英国发现的最大的骨架，就很了不起。这确实是一个史无前例的发现，也是英国古生物学史上最伟大的发现之一。"
Ichthyosaurs, which were marine reptiles, first appeared about 250m years ago and went extinct 90m years ago. They varied in size from 1 to more than 25 metres in length and resembled dolphins in their general body shape. The remains were dug out by a team of experts from around the UK in August and September.
鱼龙是海洋爬行动物，首次出现在大约2.5亿年前，在9千万年前灭绝了。它们的尺寸从1米到超过25米长不等，其总体身体形状类似于海豚。这些遗骸是由来自英国各地的专家团队在8月和9月挖出来的。
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