Marsupial Lion Tops African Lion in Fight to the Death袋獅若存世　完勝非洲獅

Pound for pound， Australia’s extinct marsupial lion （Thylacoleo carnifex） would have made mincemeat of1 today’s African lion （Panthera leo） had the two big hyper-carnivores2 ever squared off3 in a fight to the death， according to an Australian scientist.

袋獅曾是澳大利亞的一個物種，現已滅絕。一位澳大利亞科學家稱，假如袋獅與現在的非洲獅這兩種大型超級食肉動物來場殊死搏斗，那袋獅定能完勝與之體重相當的對手。

A research published in the Journal of Zoology suggests that Thylacoleo killed prey rapidly， using its “bolt-cutter” type teeth to scissor through hide and flesh to produce major trauma and blood loss.

《動物學期刊》上的一篇研究報告表明，袋獅殺死獵物的速度很快，它那斷線鉗似的牙齒能“剪”開獵物的皮肉，令獵物身受重傷，血流如注。

By contrast， African lions and similar big cats of today use their bite force to suffocate prey， using a “clamp and hold” technique that can take up to 15 minutes with large prey such as Cape buffalo.

相比之下，現在的非洲獅以及與之類似的大型貓科動物則會利用自身咬合力令獵物窒息。它們的辦法就是緊咬獵物不松口。對付諸如非洲水牛這樣的大型獵物，它們能耗上15分鐘。

“My results suggest that the marsupial lion employed a unique killing technique，” says research authoruUVeFpBJr4V83ywz+9vzYA== Stephen Wroe. “It used its massive carnassial cheek teeth to effect major trauma and a rapid kill. Unlike any living mammalian carnivores， the marsupial’s carnassials were not only butchery tools but also active components in the killing process.”

“我的研究結果表明，袋獅會以特有的方式殺死獵物。”研究報告的作者斯蒂芬·羅說，“它用碩大的裂齒咬傷獵物，后者很快就會因傷重而死。袋獅的裂齒不僅用于切割獵物，還能在獵殺過程中起到積極作用，這不同于現在任何一種食肉哺乳動物。”

Using a sophisticated computer modelling method [finite element （FE） analysis4] that renders dynamic 3D models based on CT scans of the marsupial’s cranial mechanics and musculoskeletal architecture， Wroe has revealed that the creature’s skull， jaw， and head and neck muscles were well adapted to using the unique technique for killing large prey， but not for delivering the prolonged suffocating bite of living big cats.

根據有關袋獅顱骨結構及肌肉骨骼構造的CT掃描結果，羅用復雜的電腦建模方法（有限元分析法），繪制出了袋獅頭部的動態三維模型。從這個模型上可以看出，袋獅的顱骨、頜骨，以及頭頸部肌肉與它殺死大型獵物的獨特方式非常匹配，但并不適合像現在的大型貓科動物那樣，為了讓獵物窒息而采用長時間緊咬不放的獵捕方式。

“The marsupial lion also had an extremely efficient bite，” Wroe says. “In addition to very powerful jaw muscles for its size， its muscle and skull architecture were arranged in such a way as to take greater advantage of leverage than in living cats.”

“袋獅的咬合也極為高效。”羅說，“以袋獅的體型而論，它的頜部肌肉很有力。除此之外，它的肌肉與顱骨結構配合得當，更便于借助杠桿作用，現在的貓科動物在這方面就稍遜一籌。”

Wroe， who has published findings about bite force in other hyper-carnivores， such as great white sharks and sabre-toothed tigers， believes there is no doubt that Australia’s marsupial lion was a fearsome predator that punched well above its weight5.

羅還研究過大白鯊、劍齒虎等其他超級食肉動物的咬合力，研究結果也已發表。羅認為，澳大利亞袋獅無疑是可怕的獵食者，它能游刃有余地干掉比自己大的獵物。

Certainly， Thylacoleo was seriously over-engineered for dispatching small prey. These findings support the conclusion that the creature regularly preyed on relatively large species and was able to effect quick kills and withstand large forces generated by large struggling prey.

如果袋獅只抓小型獵物，那它定不會進化到那種程度。研究結果證實了下述結論：袋獅通常捕食較為龐大的獵物，不但能迅速殺死獵物，還能抵擋住大型獵物在掙扎時爆發出的巨大力量。

“Hypothetically， had a large marsupial lion ever come face to face with an African lion of similar size， it could have use its deadly cheek teeth and incredibly powerful arms to inflict mortal wounds on the mammal，” Wroe says. “Had it not become extinct， it might now hold top spot over toady’s ‘king of the jungle.’”

“袋獅的裂齒能致對手死亡，前肢也極其有力。假設一只大型袋獅迎面碰上一只跟它差不多大的非洲獅，袋獅會利用自己的裂齒與前肢給后者造成致命傷。”羅說，“若袋獅沒有滅絕，它興許能力壓現在的‘叢林之王’。”

1 make mincemeat of sb 徹底擊敗。 2超級食肉動物指進食食物中超過70%為肉類的動物。 3 square off （和某人）打斗；擺好戰斗姿勢。

4有限元分析指將連續體離散化為若干有限大小的單元體，對實際物理問題進行模擬求解的分析方法。

5 punch above one’s weight（拳擊運動中）和高于自己重量級別的對手較量。