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About 148 to 150 million years ago, a strange chicken-sized and bird-like dinosaur with long legs and arms much like wings lived in southeastern China.
大约在1.48亿到1.5亿年前，一种奇怪的，和鸡一样大小的，腿和手臂长得很像翅膀，形似鸟的恐龙生活在中国东南部。
Its unusual body suggests it was either a fast runner or lived near water.
它不同寻常的身体表明它要么跑得很快，要么生活在水边。
Scientists said last week they had unearthed in the Fujian area the fossil of a dinosaur they named Fujianvenator prodigiosus.
科学家上周表示，他们在福建地区发现了一种恐龙化石，他们将其命名为奇异福建龙。
They say it lived during the time in Earth's history called the Jurassic Period.
他们说，它生活在地球历史上的侏罗纪时期。
The new dinosaur find provides more information about an important stage in how birds developed, or evolved, the researchers say.
研究人员表示，新的恐龙发现为研究鸟类进化的一个重要阶段提供了更多信息。
The question of whether the dinosaur should be called a bird depends on how one defines a bird, said study leader Min Wang.
该研究的负责人王敏表示，这种恐龙是否应该被称为鸟的问题取决于人们如何定义鸟。
He is a paleontologist at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
他是中国科学院古脊椎动物与古人类研究所的古生物学家。
Asked for a word to describe Fujianvenator, Wang answered, "I would say 'bizarre.' Fujianvenator is far from similar to any modern birds.”
当被问及用一个词来形容奇异福建龙时，王敏回答说：“我会说‘怪异’。奇异福建龙与任何现代鸟类都不相似。”
Birds evolved from a grouping of dinosaurs known as theropods in the late Jurassic.
鸟是从侏罗纪晚期的兽脚亚目恐龙进化而来的。
The oldest known bird, Archaeopteryx, dates to around 150 million years ago in Germany.
已知最古老的鸟类是始祖鸟，该鸟类生活在大约1.5亿年前的德国。
Fujianvenator is a member of a grouping called avialans that includes all birds and their closest non-bird dinosaur relatives, Wang said.
王敏说，奇异福建龙是量化鸟类的一员，量化鸟类包括所有的鸟类和它们最亲近的非鸟类恐龙亲戚。
The fossil was discovered last October.
这块化石是去年10月发现的。
It is mostly complete but lacks the animal's head and part of its feet.
它基本上是完整的，但缺少了头和部分脚。
That makes it hard for scientists to suggest what it ate and how it lived.
这使得科学家很难推测它吃什么以及它是如何生活的。
Fujianvenator's lower leg bone – the tibia – was twice as long as its upper leg bone – the femur.
奇异福建龙的小腿骨（胫骨）是其大腿骨（股骨）的两倍长。
These sizes are exceptional among theropods.
这种体型在兽脚亚目恐龙中是罕见的。
The theropod group includes all the meat-eating dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus.
兽脚亚目恐龙包括所有诸如暴龙之类的食肉恐龙。
Wang said that Fujianvenator did have wings, but it is not clear if it could fly.
王敏说，奇异福建龙确实有翅膀，但还不清楚它是否能飞。
Wang said, if it did fly it probably did not fly well, based on its bone structure.
王敏说，如果它真的能飞，从它的骨骼结构来看，它可能飞得不好。
Wang said the fossil did not include feathers.
王敏说，该化石不包括羽毛。
But, the animal's closest relatives and almost all bird-like theropods have feathers.
但是，这种动物的近亲和几乎所有形似鸟类的兽脚亚目恐龙都有羽毛。
Many dinosaurs had feathers, also.
许多恐龙也有羽毛。
Wang said, "It would not be a surprise if Fujianvenator had feathers ."
王敏说：“如果奇异福建龙有羽毛，那也不足为奇。”
Based on its long legs, the researchers suggested it lived in two possible ways – either as a fast runner or near water, similar to birds like cranes or herons.
基于它的长腿，研究人员认为它可能有两种生活方式——要么跑得很快，要么靠近水，类似于鹤或苍鹭等鸟类。
Wang has an opinion on the mystery: "I would put my money on runner," the scientist said.
王敏对这个谜团有自己的看法：“我十分肯定它是一种善于奔跑的恐龙。”这位科学家说。
I'm Gregory Stachel.
格雷戈里·施塔赫尔为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
