A giant lizard that lived 40 million years ago has been named in honor of rock singer Jim Morrison, palaeontologists say.
Around 180cm from snout to tail and tipping the scales at up to 27kg, the plant-eating reptile is one of the biggest-known lizards ever to have lived on land. It competed with mammals for food in the humid tropical forests of Southeast Asia.
“We think the warm climate during the late-middle Eocene period allowed the evolution of a large body size and the ability of plant-eating lizards to successfully compete in mammal faunas,” said Jason Head of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, who led the analysis.
Photo: AFP
照片：法新社
The palaeontologists have named the long-extinct species Barbaturex morrisoni — “Barbaturex” means “bearded king” — after the team found ridges on the underside of the jaw that give lizards a beard-like appearance. “Morrisoni” is in tribute to The Doors frontman Morrison, famed for his fascination with reptiles and shamanism.
“I was listening to The Doors quite a bit during research,” said Head. “Some of their musical imagery includes reptiles and ancient places, and Jim Morrison was of course the Lizard King, so it kind of came together.”
(Liberty Times)
古生物學家表示，一種生活在距今四千萬年前的巨型蜥蜴，已被依照搖滾歌手吉姆．莫里森之名來命名。
這種草食性爬蟲類動物自鼻尖到尾巴長約一百八十公分，體重可達二十七公斤，是陸地上體型最大的蜥蜴之一。牠在濕熱的東南亞森林中和哺乳動物爭奪食物。
「我們認為始新世中晚期的溫暖氣候促使生物演化出較大體型，並讓食草性爬蟲類動物能夠成功與哺乳動物競爭，」主持這項分析的內布拉斯加州大學林肯分校學者海德說。
古生物學家把這種早已絕種的物種命名為Barbaturex morrisoni。Barbaturex意指「鬍鬚王」，因為研究團隊在這種蜥蜴的下顎底下發現脊狀突起，使其看起來像是留了鬍子。Morrisoni則是向搖滾樂團「門」的主唱莫里森致敬，莫里森生前以對爬蟲類動物與薩滿教著迷聞名。
「我在研究期間常常聽『門』的歌，」海德說。「他們的部分音樂意象包括了爬蟲類動物和古代地點，而莫里森當然又是眾所周知的蜥蜴王，所以配合得剛剛好。」
(自由時報／翻譯：俞智敏)
A: In addition to “Mission: Impossible 8,” what other new movies are in theaters? B: “Final Destination: Bloodlines” and “The Wedding Banquet” are out. The French film “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” will also open soon. A: The Final Destination horror movie series is so scary that I don’t dare watch it. B: Then how about “The Wedding Banquet,” which is a 2025 remake of the 1993 classic of the same title? Oscar-winning actress Youn Yuh-jung’s performance in it is highly anticipated. A: But as a fan of British writer Jane Austen, I’m more interested to see how her works
US President Donald Trump on Monday last week signed the TAKE IT DOWN ACT (Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act), bipartisan legislation that enacts stricter penalties for the distribution of non-consensual intimate imagery, sometimes called “revenge porn,” as well as deepfakes created by artificial intelligence. The measure, which goes into effect immediately, was introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, and later gained the support of First Lady Melania Trump. Critics of the measure, which addresses both real and artificial intelligence-generated imagery, say
Cats ruled in ancient Egypt—and not just in their own minds. These clever, graceful creatures were so deeply respected by the Egyptians that harming one could lead to severe punishment, even death. But why did the Egyptians hold cats in such high regard? It wasn’t just because they were cute; cats played a crucial role in protecting the country’s grain stores from pests. As guardians of Egypt’s food supply, they were seen as sacred animals. The Egyptians honored them through Bastet, the cat-headed goddess of protection, the home and fertility. Egyptians didn’t just love cats; they worshipped them. Cats lived in luxury,
A: Wanna go see a movie during the three-day weekend for the Dragon Boat Festival? B: Sure, I wanna see “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.” A: Rumor has it that this may be actor Tom Cruise’s last mission with the Mission: Impossible action movie franchise. B: Tom was only 34 when the first installment of the series was released in 1996. Now, he’s 63 and the eighth installment is out. A: I hope he’ll stay with the series. Let’s go see him fight against AI this weekend. A: 端午節三天連假週末要不要去看電影？ B: 好啊我想看 《不可能的任務：最終清算》！ A: 這有可能是湯姆克魯斯最後一次為動作片《不可能》系列出任務。 B:
RSS