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But even on its own, a mammoth was still highly dangerous and an attack required stealth and teamwork. Oneof the hunters may have acted as a decoy, distracting the animal while others surrounded it. These huntershad another trick up their sleeve. Using a specially crafted wooden stick called an atlatl, they were able to launch sharp pointed darts more than 40 meters. So we know these people were efficient hunters, but could they really have wiped out all the mammoths of the North American continent?
但是就其本身而言，一直猛犸象還是及其危險(xiǎn)的，因此獵人們需要偷襲，同時(shí)也要進(jìn)行配合。一個(gè)獵人可能作為一直誘餌來分散猛犸象的注意力，而其他人則趁機(jī)包圍。這些獵人的手里還有另一種武器。他們使用一種稱作“梭標(biāo)投射器”的特殊制作的手工木槍，這種尖利飛槍的射程可達(dá)40米以上。因此我們知道這些獵人們極具效率，但是他們這能夠殺光北美大陸所有的猛犸象嗎？
Today the remains of mammoths, in particular their tusks, may help answer that question. To read the clues contained within these tusks, you need to look at the mammoths’ closest living relative, the elephant.
如今猛犸象們的化石，尤其是它們的象牙，可能幫助我們回答這個(gè)問題。想要讀懂這些遺留在象牙化石中的線索，你需要觀察一個(gè)猛犸象的近親——大象。
Elephant tusks grow throughout their lives, with the tip being the oldest part. Mammoth tusks show the same pattern of growth as modern elephants. Each year of life is represented by a ring, just like tree rings.
大象的象牙一生都在不停生長，尖端的最早生長的部分。猛犸象的象牙和現(xiàn)代大象象牙的生長方式相同。每年增加一環(huán)，就像樹木的年輪一樣。
But tusks can also be a record of the most stressful period in an elephant’s life. As bulls mature, they are forced out of the family group and have to fight to survive. During this stressful time, they don’t have so much energy for growth, so the space between each ring is narrower.
然而象牙同樣也可以反映一頭大象生命中的最艱難的時(shí)期。當(dāng)它們成熟后，它們會(huì)被強(qiáng)迫離開家庭群體，并且自立謀生。在這樣的時(shí)期里，它們沒有足夠的能量維持生長，因此象牙每一環(huán)的間距都相對較窄。
英文文本來自普特英語，譯文屬可可原創(chuàng)，僅供學(xué)習(xí)交流使用，未經(jīng)許可不得轉(zhuǎn)載。
