摘要
浙江白垩系中戴组和赖家组地层先后发现镰刀龙超科(Therizinosauridae)恐龙骨骼化石,证明镰刀龙类恐龙生活区域不仅遍及蒙古、哈萨克斯坦、中国华北、东北、华南及北美西部等地,而且也包括中国的华东。这类曾长期令人困惑的奇异动物,随着近一个世纪的化石材料积累和研究,逐渐显现出它们的演化过程,即由食肉性恐龙演化成以素食为主,也许还兼肉食的杂食性恐龙。随着食物来源的扩展,镰刀龙类成为白垩纪分布很广、对环境适应性很强、演化十分成功的恐龙。浙江天台盆地发现的始丰天台龙(Tiantaisaurus sifengensis)脊椎骨骼化石上的气囊构造(pneumaticity),说明其虽体态硕大,但骨骼结构并不很笨重,而是与现代鸟类骨骼很接近。尽管还不能确定恐龙的气囊能像鸟类的那样可作为呼吸系统的重要部分,但其减轻体重、提高行动灵活性的作用是毋庸置疑的,并再一次证实了恐龙与鸟类在演化上关系密切。
Some fossil skeletons of Therizinosauridae dinosaurs were found in Cretaceous Zhongdai and Laijia Forrmtions in Tiantai, Zhejiang Province. It was proved that their distribution areas were spread in Mongolia, Kazakhstan, western area in North America, and northern, northeastern, southern and eastern areas in China. According to the fossils found and studies for over a century, the puzzled paleontologists by the confusing animals for many years discovered and revealed gradually their evolution course, that was evolved successfully from carnivore to mainly vegetarian, or probably both, became euryphagous dinosaurs. The dinosaurs were distributed widely in various environments during Cretaceous period. The pneumatieity in vertebrae of Tiantaisaurus sifengensis found in Tiantai Basin of Zhejiang Province in eastern China suggested that the dinosaurs with big creatures were not bulky and their vertebrae was similar to that of the present birds. Although the pneumaticity of vertebrae of dinosaurs could not determine its acting respiratory system like present birds, yet it undoubtedly benefited the creatures＇weight loss and enhanced its flexibility of activity. Then, it could be confirmed that many dinosaurs and birds were closely related during their evolution. Keywords： Therizinosaurs ; Dinosaurs; Ayes ; Cretaceous period ; Tiantai, Zhejiang
出处
《地质学刊》
CAS
2012年第4期337-348,共12页
Journal of Geology
基金
国家自然科学基金(40872006
40672041)
国家自然科学青年科学基金(41002024)
中国地质调查局地质调查工作项目(1212011121099)
中国地质调查局基础地质综合研究项目(1212010610611)
国土资源部公益性行业科研专项经费项目(200811015)
关键词
镰刀龙类
恐龙
鸟类
白垩纪
浙江天台
Therizinosaurs
Dinosaurs
Ayes
Cretaceous period
Tiantai, Zhejiang
