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Scientists say a fossil found in Germany is providing new details about flying reptiles that lived on Earth about 147 million years ago.
科学家表示，在德国发现的一块化石为1.47亿年前生活在地球上的飞行爬行动物提供了新的细节。
The fossil was discovered in 2015 in the southeastern German state of Bavaria.
该化石于2015年在德国东南部的巴伐利亚州被发现。
It contains the remains of a newly identified species called Skiphosoura bavarica.
它包含了一种新发现的物种的遗骸，叫做巴伐利卡Skiphosoura巴伐利卡。
Skiphosoura is considered a pterosaur, an ancient flying reptile. It lived toward the end of the Jurassic Period.
Skiphosoura被认为是翼龙，一种古老的飞行爬行动物。它生活在侏罗纪末期。
Researchers say the creature played an important part in the development of ecosystems during the age of the dinosaurs.
研究人员表示，这种生物在恐龙时代的生态系统发展中发挥了重要作用。
The reptile had a wing reach of about 2 meters for traveling and a set of sharp teeth to help capture and eat other animals.
这种爬行动物有大约2米长的翅膀，可以用来飞行，还有一副锋利的牙齿，可以捕捉并吃掉其他动物。
Skiphosoura would have been one of the largest fliers in its ecosystem.
Skiphosoura可能是其生态系统中最大的飞行者之一。
Researchers say the discovered fossil was in good shape, with nearly every bone remaining in the skeleton.
研究人员表示，发现的化石形状良好，几乎所有的骨头都保留在骨架上。
This has permitted the team to learn new details about this pterosaur.
这让研究小组得以了解这只翼龙的新细节。
One of the leaders of the fossil examinations is David Hone of Queen Mary University of London.
伦敦玛丽女王大学的大卫·霍恩是化石研究的领导者之一。
He told Reuters news agency he thinks the fossil find was "of huge importance."
他告诉路透社，他认为这个化石的发现“非常重要”。
Hone was the lead writer of a study describing the team’s work in the publication Current Biology.
霍恩是发表在《当代生物学》杂志上的一项研究的主要作者，该研究描述了该团队的工作。
He added that Skiphosoura has provided new information about the evolution of pterosaurs.
他补充说，Skiphosoura为翼龙的进化提供了新的信息。
"It also brings other pterosaur finds we had already made into focus,” Hone said.
“这也让我们已经发现的其他翼龙成为了关注的焦点，”霍恩说。
He added that the discovery also helps better explain “where they go in the family tree of pterosaurs” and permits scientists to show this development from early to later forms.
他补充说，这一发现还有助于更好地解释“它们在翼龙家谱中的位置”，并让科学家能够展示这种生物从早期到后期的形态发展。
"The teeth are quite long and sharp. They are for puncturing and holding," Hone said.
“它们的牙齿又长又尖。是用来穿刺和固定住猎物的。”霍恩说。
He noted these were likely used to catch smaller animals such as lizards, small mammals, insects and possibly fish.
他说这些工具可能是用来捕捉蜥蜴、小型哺乳动物、昆虫，可能还有鱼类等较小的动物。
Pterosaurs are considered ancestors of the dinosaurs. They were the first of three groups of vertebrates – animals with a backbone – to enjoy powered flight.
翼龙被认为是恐龙的祖先。它们是三种脊椎动物（有脊椎骨的动物）中最早享受动力飞行的。
Pterosaurs disappeared about 66 million years ago in the mass extinction that also took out most of the dinosaurs after an asteroid struck Earth.
翼龙在大约6600万年前的大灭绝中消失了，小行星撞击地球后，大部分恐龙也灭绝了。
Scientists divide pterosaurs into two major groups - the early non-pterodactyloids and the later pterodactyloids.
科学家将翼龙分为两大类——早期的非翼手类和后来的翼手龙类。
The early group's members had a short head, short neck, long tail and a long fifth toe on the foot.
早期的翼龙头比较短，脖子也短，有长尾巴，脚上还有第五个长脚趾。
The later ones had a large head, long neck, short tail, long wrist and short fifth toe.
后来的恐龙头很大，脖子很长，尾巴很短，手腕很长，第五趾也很短。
The team says the discovery of Skiphosoura – along with another species that lived 170 million years ago in Scotland – have helped shape important events in pterosaur development.
研究小组表示，Skiphosoura的发现，以及另一个生活在1.7亿年前的苏格兰的物种的发现，让人们更加了解翼龙发展过程中的重要事件。
I’m Bryan Lynn.
布莱恩·林恩报道。
