尼斯湖怪一直是一個(gè)謎，到底存在不存在湖怪，如果存在的話湖怪到底是什么動(dòng)物，這些謎團(tuán)都籠罩在世人的心頭。近日，英國(guó)考古學(xué)家取得重大突破，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)了類似尼斯湖怪的生物化石?？茖W(xué)家進(jìn)而推斷這種動(dòng)物2億年前生活在在英吉利海峽中。?

據(jù)報(bào)道這一重大考古發(fā)現(xiàn)發(fā)生在英國(guó)多塞特郡的海濱城市萊姆里杰斯(Lyme Regis)，在這座城市有世界自然遺產(chǎn)“侏羅紀(jì)海岸”。考古學(xué)家正是在侏羅紀(jì)海岸的石灰石巖中發(fā)現(xiàn)了類似尼斯湖怪的生物化石，這令他們興奮不已?？脊艑W(xué)家花費(fèi)數(shù)月時(shí)間把數(shù)十塊骨骼化石拼裝起來(lái)，試圖還原這只長(zhǎng)12英尺(約3.6米)的蛇頸龍。這種海洋兩棲動(dòng)物長(zhǎng)有細(xì)細(xì)的長(zhǎng)脖頸和細(xì)長(zhǎng)尾巴，四個(gè)巨大的闊鰭，像剃刀一樣鋒利的牙齒，以捕食其他海洋動(dòng)物為生。

蛇頸龍生活在距今大約1.5億年到2億年之前，當(dāng)時(shí)是侏羅紀(jì)時(shí)代。當(dāng)時(shí)的英吉利海峽是水位不深的熱帶海洋。遺骸是由化石專家特蕾西-馬勒在萊姆里杰斯附近的蒙默思海灘巖石下發(fā)現(xiàn)的。她先是在石灰?guī)r中發(fā)現(xiàn)了一塊骨骼。后來(lái)她和她的搭檔、化石專家克里斯-摩爾又返回蒙默思海灘，結(jié)果又找到了四塊骨骼。

專家們仔細(xì)研究了這種古生物的骨骼，驚奇地發(fā)現(xiàn)一種食肉恐龍對(duì)“湖怪”的尸體進(jìn)行了咬嚙，因?yàn)槠涔趋郎狭粝铝丝铸埖凝X印。經(jīng)過(guò)進(jìn)一步發(fā)掘，共找到了150塊椎骨和部分頭骨和顎骨，顎骨上還留有一顆牙齒。

摩爾表示,“骨骼上邊留有齒印，這具尸骨曾經(jīng)被其他兇狠的海洋兩棲動(dòng)物撕咬成兩半?！蹦栒f(shuō)撕咬蛇頸龍尸體的可能是食肉的魚(yú)龍。

埃德蒙斯說(shuō)，“蛇頸龍遺骸非常罕見(jiàn)，目前全世界已知的只有10具完整的或部分蛇頸龍遺骸化石。我為此工作了30多年只發(fā)現(xiàn)了這唯一一具蛇頸龍骨骼化石?！?/p>

據(jù)悉這具完整程度達(dá)到70%的蛇頸龍化石有望在萊姆里杰斯博物館展出，屆時(shí)公眾有機(jī)會(huì)見(jiàn)識(shí)這種類似尼斯湖怪的古生物的面目。

It roamed the English channel more than 200 million years ago.

And now the prehistoric monster has surfaced once more - in the limestone of Lyme Regis's famous 'Jurassic Coast'.

Excited archaeologists discovered the Loch Ness-style creature on the beach and have spent months piecing together a giant jigsaw composed of dozens of old bones to reveal the 12ft-long plesiosaur.

The marine reptile hunted the oceans with a long thin neck and tail, four large flippers and razor-sharp teeth.

It existed during the Jurassic period about 150 to 200 million years ago when what is now the Channel was a shallow, tropical sea.

The remains were discovered by fossil hunter Tracey Marler under rocks on Monmouth Beach near Lyme Regis, Dorset.

She first found a single bone in limestone. She and partner Chris Moore, an expert in fossils, returned to the scene and they found four more bones.

As experts examined the bones in detail, they were surprised to see teeth marks from where a predator dinosaur would have feasted on the carcass of the 'lake monster'.

Fragments: The skeleton is 70 per cent complete and will soon go on display to the public

After further excavation about 150 vertebrae bones and parts of its skull and jaw, with one tooth remaining, were uncovered.

Mr Moore said: 'It came out in pieces but you could clearly see how it looked.

'The tail bone was in position, and some of the back bones were completely in place where they should be and the neck bone was there as well.

'You could see some of the bones had actually been chewed up a bit.

'There are teeth marks and you can see how the skeleton had been torn apart by some other nasty marine reptile.'

Mr Moore added: 'Their predator would have been the ichthyosaur which was carnivorous.'

Natural England worked closely with the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site team to carefully extract the fossils.

The alternative of leaving it could have led to it being destroyed by ill-informed collectors or eventually being washed away and eroded by the sea.

Richard Edmonds, science manager for the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, said: 'There was a risk that we could have damaged the pavement by the act of removing the fossil.

'Plesiosaur remains are rare. There are only 10 known examples of complete or even partial skeletons of this species.

'I have been doing this for 30-odd years and I have only ever found the odd bone.

'The specimen could not have been in a more sensitive location, in the famous and iconic ammonite pavement.'

It is hoped the skeleton, which is 70 per cent complete, will go on public display at the Lyme Regis Museum.

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該內(nèi)容來(lái)源于英國(guó)總領(lǐng)事館文化教育處

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