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TEKST8Przeczytajtekst.Pokażdymakapiciezdecyduj,czyzdaniapodane
poniżejwyrażająprawdę-‘true’,czyfałsz-‘false’.
Evolutionhasasenseofhumor.Givenenoughtimeandenoughmutation,competition,selection,
pressureandhybridizationtheforcesofnaturecanturnalizardintoaChickenFromHell.
Scientistshavejustdiscoveredafreakish,birdlikespeciesofdinosaur-3metreslong,over200
kilo,withabeak,noteeth,abonycrestontopofitshead,murderousclaws,strongfighterarms,tall
legs,athintailandfeatherssproutingalloverthebody.Officially,it’samemberofagroupof
dinosaurscalledoviraptorosaurs,unofficiallynicknamedtheChickenFromHell.
1.Accordingtoscientiststhenewtypeofdinosaurthattheyhavediscovered
isreallystrangeandcannotbecomparedtoanydinosaurfoundbefore.
Thisdino-birdisnotliterallyachicken,orevenabird.It’sdefinitelyadinosaur,anditlivedatthe
endoftheCretaceousperiod,fromabout68millionto66millionyearsago.‘Itwouldlooklike
areallyabsurd,stretched-outchickenanditwouldhavebeenacrossbetweenachickenandalizard,’
saythepaleontologistswhoexcavatedthefossils.
2.Thepaleontologistsweresurprisedtodiscoveradinosaurthatwouldhave
lookedliketwospeciescombinedtogether.
Thefossilsofthreespecimensofthenewdinosaurwerefoundinasedimentaryrocklayerknownas
theHellCreekinNorthandSouthDakota.Theformationinspiredthenickname.Butthere’salso
thematterofappearance:It’sadisturbingbeast.Itlookslikeitcouldstompyou,ripyoutopiecesor
simplypeckyoutodeath.
3.ThenicknameoftheChickenFromHellderivesfromthescarybody
featuresofthenewdinosaur.
It’sabiganimal,thebiggestoviraptorosaurspeciesfoundinNorthAmerica.Thecreaturebringsto
mindahugeflightlessbird,suchasanostrichoremu.Theweirdcrestonitshead,whichresembles
halfadinnerplateturnedvertically,lookslikethatofacassowary.Thenewdinosaurisloadedwith
biologicalaccessoriesandadaptations,asifevolutionhadbeeninspiredbyaSwissArmyknife.
4.Scientisthavefiguredoutthatthenewdinosaurwouldhavebeenafierce
creaturethatattackeditspreyfromair.
InTheOriginofSpeciesCharlesDarwinwroteofthe’grandeurofnaturalselection,through
whichendlessformsmostbeautifulandmostwonderfulhavebeen,andarebeing,evolved’—buthe
neversawthisanimalfromanightmare.
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