A fossilized back bone, collected in 1985, has finally been identified as the first dinosaur bone ever discovered in Antarctica.

一件於1985年收集的脊椎化石，終於被確認為南極有史以來發現的第一塊恐龍骨。

The bone was found on James Ross Island by Dr. Mike Thomson from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) while he was mapping rock layers. Although his notes described it as a 'large reptile bone,' the specimen was not officially classified for nearly forty years. Recently, collections manager Dr. Mark Evans noticed the bone and suggested that it likely belonged to a dinosaur.

這塊骨頭是由英國南極調查局 (BAS) 的 Mike Thomson 博士在繪製岩層圖期間，於詹姆斯羅斯島發現的。雖然他的筆記將其描述為「大型爬行類骨骼」，但這件樣本在將近四十年來一直未被正式分類。最近，收藏經理 Mark Evans 博士注意到這塊骨頭，並建議它很可能屬於恐龍。

Later analysis by Professor Paul Barrett from the Natural History Museum confirmed that the bone is a tail vertebra from a Titanosaur. While Titanosaurs are usually known as giant plant-eating dinosaurs, this specific individual was only six to seven meters long, which is much smaller than others in its group. The fossil comes from the Santa Marta Formation, which dates back about 82 million years. Experts believe the animal's body moved into the ocean after it died, where it eventually turned into a fossil in the seabed.

隨後由自然歷史博物館的 Paul Barrett 教授分析，確認這塊骨頭是一隻泰坦龍的尾椎。雖然泰坦龍通常被視為巨大的植食性恐龍，但這個個體僅有六至七公尺長，比同類群組的其他恐龍小得多。這件化石來自聖瑪塔層 (Santa Marta Formation)，年代可追溯至約 8,200 萬年前。專家認為該動物死亡後，身體移入海洋，最終在海底變成化石。

This discovery helps scientists understand how dinosaurs moved across the Southern Hemisphere. Professor Barrett emphasized that the presence of titanosaurs in Antarctica suggests they may have traveled to Australia and New Zealand. Furthermore, this find proves that prehistoric Antarctica had temperate forests and a warm climate caused by volcanoes, which is completely different from the icy environment we see today.

這次發現有助於科學家了解恐龍如何在南半球遷移。Barrett 教授強調，南極出現泰坦龍顯示牠們可能曾經前往澳洲與紐西蘭。此外，這次發現證明史前南極曾有溫帶森林以及由火山引起的溫暖氣候，與我們今日所見的冰封環境完全不同。

The identification of this bone provides important information about ancient wildlife and suggests that more fossils may be found as the Antarctic ice melts.

確認這塊骨頭的身份，為古代野生動物提供了重要資訊，並顯示隨著南極冰川融化，可能會發現更多化石。