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After more than a decade of work, scientists in Peru have finally unveiled the ancient remains of what could be the world's heaviest animal.
经过十多年的努力，秘鲁科学家终于公布了可能是世界上最重动物的古代遗骸。
Researchers estimate the Perucetus, which means "colossal Peruvian whale", grew to about 20 meters long and weighed up to 340 tons.
研究人员估计，这个名为“Perucetus”（意为“巨大的秘鲁鲸鱼”）的生物，体长大约20米，重达340吨。
"It is an exceptional discovery. It is heavier than a blue whale, the largest animal that has existed and that currently exists on our planet.
“这是一个非凡的发现。Perucetus比蓝鲸还要重，蓝鲸是地球上曾经存在过、现在依然存在的最重的动物。
This animal lived 39 million years ago in the Peruvian Sea."
它大约生活在3900万年前的秘鲁海。”
The biggest known blue whale weighed around 190 tons, though it was longer at 33.5 meters.
目前已知最重的蓝鲸，体重约为190吨，不过身长更长些，达到33.5米。
An international team has so far unearthed 13 vertebrae, four ribs and one hip bone from a coastal desert in southern Peru, a region rich in marine fossils.
截至目前，一个国际团队在秘鲁南部沿海沙漠--海洋化石非常丰富的地区--中共发现了13块椎骨，4根肋骨和一块髋骨。
Scientists believe the prehistoric creature had extremely dense and compact bones, a characteristic lacking in modern whales and dolphins.
科学家们认为，这种史前生物的骨骼，其密度极大且紧凑，而这是现代鲸鱼和海豚所没有的特征。
"We think it may have had a relatively tiny head,
“我们认为它的头部可能相对较小，
but then an elongate massive body that could best be described as something like a gigantic sausage, bobbing around in the shallow waters off the coast of Peru."
但有一个细长的、巨大的身体，最贴切的描述是像一根巨大的香肠，在秘鲁海岸的浅水区上下浮动。”
Researchers hope to find the skull which will give them more information about how Perucetus lived.
研究人员希望能找到Perucetus的头骨，这将为他们提供更多关于它是如何生活的信息。
