3.8億年前，有手指的魚可能是人類的手進化過程中缺失的一環(huán)

3.8億年前，有手指的魚可能是人類的手進化過程中缺失的一環(huán)

A creepy fish with fingers on the end of its fins terrorized the oceans 380 million years ago.

3.8億年前，一種鰭端有手指的令人毛骨悚然的魚類在海洋中橫行霸道。

The 5ft-long, shark-like Elpistostege watsoni lurked in tropical lagoons and could be a missing link in human evolution.

這條長5英尺、形似鯊魚的Elpistostege魚潛伏在熱帶瀉湖中，可能是人類進化過程中缺失的一環(huán)。

Scientists studying a fossil of the slippery predator found in Canada say it may hold clues to how hands evolved in people.

科學家研究了在加拿大發(fā)現(xiàn)的一種滑溜溜的食肉動物化石，稱它可能為人類的手是如何進化的提供了線索。

Scans of the fossil showed the structure of its fin to have similarities with the human hand, with the skeleton featuring an arm, a forearm and finger-like appendages.

對化石的掃描顯示，它的鰭的結構與人類的手有相似之處，它的骨骼有手臂、前臂和手指狀的附肢。

Researchers say their findings reveal “extraordinary new information” about how the human hand evolved.

研究人員表示，他們的發(fā)現(xiàn)揭示了關于人手進化的“非凡的新信息”。

Professor John Long, of Flinders University in Australia, said: “This is the first time that we have unequivocally discovered fingers locked in a fin with fin-rays in any known fish.”

澳大利亞弗林德斯大學的約翰·朗教授說:“這是我們第一次明確地、在任何已知的魚身上、發(fā)現(xiàn)手指與鰭射線結合在一起的鰭。”

“The articulating digits in the fin are like the finger bones found in the hands of most animals.

“鰭上的關節(jié)手指就像大多數(shù)動物手上的指骨。”

“This finding pushes back the origin of digits invertebrates to the fish level and tells us that the patterning for the vertebrate hand was first developed deep in evolution, just before fishes left the water.”

這一發(fā)現(xiàn)將指類無脊椎動物的起源推回到了魚類的水平，并告訴我們，脊椎動物手的模式最初是在進化的深處發(fā)展起來的，就在魚類離開水之前。”

Evidence of Elpistostege was first found in 1938 in the cliffs of Miguasha National Park in Quebec, Canada.

1938年，在加拿大魁北克的米瓜沙國家公園的懸崖上，首次發(fā)現(xiàn)了Elpistostege的蹤跡。

However, it was only in 2010 a complete specimen was discovered.

然而，直到2010年才發(fā)現(xiàn)了完整的標本。

The unique predator is believed to have lived in a shallow marine habitat in the Quebec region during the Middle and Upper Devonian period, about 393-359 million years ago.

這種獨特的食肉動物被認為生活在大約3.93億至3.59億年前的中上泥盆世時期，生活在魁北克地區(qū)的淺海棲息地。

Researchers believe fish such as Elpistostege are “transitional fossils” which could help understand how vertebrates, or back-boned animals, were able to transition from water to land.

研究人員認為，像刺魚這樣的魚類是“過渡性化石”，這可能有助于理解脊椎動物或背骨動物是如何從水過渡到陸地的。

The process would have involved significant changes such as the evolution of hands and feet.

這個過程可能會涉及重大的變化，比如手和腳的進化。

The research was published in the journal Nature.

這項研究發(fā)表在《自然》雜志上。

注：Elpistostegalia出現(xiàn)于Frasnian期(晚泥盆紀早期)，有許多與兩棲動物極其相似的特征。也許是過于特化了，古生物學者們一般把它們看作一個進化上的盲枝。它們與兩棲動物相似的特征有：肛門的消失(只保留一個泄殖腔);背鰭的消失;肋骨形態(tài)的變化，頭骨數(shù)量的減少，以及具有早期兩棲動物的迷齒。