ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nizar Ibrahim - Paleontologist
Nizar Ibrahim scours Northern Africa for clues to what things were like there in the Cretaceous period. A 2015 TED Fellow, he has spearheaded the recent search for the semi-aquatic dinosaur Spinosaurus.

Why you should listen

Paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim, a postdoc at the University of Chicago, wanted to uncover the mystery of the Spinosaurus, a gigantic predatory dinosaur whose only known remains were lost during World War II. After identifying a new skeleton at a dig in North Africa, Ibrahim made the landmark conclusion that the Spinosaurus may have been the largest carnivorous dinosaur to ever live. Its crocodile-like head, dense bones, short legs, and wide, paddle feet suggest it was a water dweller unlike any other. “The entire skeleton has water-loving river monster written all over it,” he says.

Ibrahim is a TED Fellow and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer.

More profile about the speaker
Nizar Ibrahim | Speaker | TED.com
TEDYouth 2014

Nizar Ibrahim: How we unearthed the Spinosaurus

Nazar Ibrahim: Kako smo Spinosaurusa izveli na svjetlo dana

Filmed:
1,044,658 views

Spinosaurus, "zmaj iz davnine", mesožder je dugačak 15 metara koji je lovio svoj plijen u rijekama prije 97 milijuna godina. Paleontolog Nizar Ibrahim i njegova skupina otkrili su nove kosti, skrivene u liticama marokanskog dijela Sahare, a govore nam o prvom plivajućem dinosauru koji je ujedno možda i najveći dinosaur mesožder u povijesti.
- Paleontologist
Nizar Ibrahim scours Northern Africa for clues to what things were like there in the Cretaceous period. A 2015 TED Fellow, he has spearheaded the recent search for the semi-aquatic dinosaur Spinosaurus. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
These dragonszmajevi from deepduboko time
are incrediblenevjerojatan creaturesstvorenja.
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Zmajevi iz davnine
nevjerojatna su stvorenja.
Bizarni su,
00:17
They're bizzarrebizzarre,
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00:19
they're beautifullijep,
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predivni
00:20
and there's very little
we know about them.
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i malo znamo o njima.
00:23
These thoughtsmisli were going
throughkroz my headglava
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Te su mi misli prolazile kroz glavu
00:26
when I lookedgledao at the pagesstranica of
my first dinosaurdinosaur bookrezervirati.
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listajući stranice
moje prve knjige o dinosaurima.
00:30
I was about fivepet yearsgodina oldstar at the time,
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Imao sam pet godina
00:33
and I decidedodlučio there and then
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i tada sam odlučio
00:35
that I would becomepostati a paleontologistPaleontolog.
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da ću bit paleontolog.
00:37
PaleontologyPaleontologija alloweddopušteno me
to combinekombinirati my love for animalsživotinje
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Paleontologija mi je omogućila
da spojim svoju ljubav prema životinjama
00:41
with my desireželja to travelputovati to
far-flungDalek cornerskutovi of the worldsvijet.
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i želju za putovanjem u
zabačene kutke svijeta.
00:45
And now, a fewnekoliko yearsgodina laterkasnije,
I've led severalnekoliko expeditionsekspedicija
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I sada, nekoliko godina poslije,
vodio sam nekoliko ekspedicija
00:48
to the ultimateultimativno far-flungDalek cornerugao
on this planetplaneta, the SaharaSahara.
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u krajnje zabačeni dio planete, Saharu.
00:54
I've workedradio in the SaharaSahara because
I've been on a questpotraga
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Radio sam u Sahari jer sam bio u potrazi
00:58
to uncoverotkriti newnovi remainsostaci of
a bizarrebizarno, giantgigantski predatorypljačkaški dinosaurdinosaur
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za novim ostacima bizarnog,
divovskog dinosaura predatora
01:03
calledzvao SpinosaurusSpinosaurus.
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Spinosaurusa.
01:06
A fewnekoliko boneskosti of this animalživotinja
have been foundpronađeno
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Kosti te životinje ronađene su
01:09
in the desertspustinja of EgyptEgipat
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u egipatskoj pustinji
01:11
and were describedopisan about 100 yearsgodina agoprije
by a Germannjemački paleontologistPaleontolog.
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i prije otprilike 100 godina opisao ih je
njemački paleontolog.
01:16
UnfortunatelyNažalost, all his SpinosaurusSpinosaurus boneskosti
were destroyeduništen in WorldSvijet WarRat IIII.
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Nažalost, sve njegove kosti Spinosaurusa
uništene su u Drugom svjetskom ratu.
01:21
So all we're left with are just
a fewnekoliko drawingscrteži and notesbilješke.
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Ostalo je tek nekoliko
njegovih crteža i bilješke.
01:25
From these drawingscrteži,
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Iz tih crteža
01:27
we know that this creaturestvorenje, whichkoji livedživjeli
about 100 millionmilijuna yearsgodina agoprije,
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znamo da je taj stvor živio
prije otprilike 100 milijuna godina,
01:30
was very bigvelika,
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bio je velik,
01:32
it had tallvisok spineskralježnica on its back,
formingformiranje a magnificentveličanstven sailjedro,
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imao je visoke kralješke na leđima
u obliku veličanstvenog jedra
01:35
and it had long, slendervitko jawsčeljust,
a bitbit like a crocodileKrokodil,
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i dugačku, tanku čeljust,
pomalo nalik na krokodila,
01:41
with conicalkonusni teethzubi,
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s klinastim zubima
01:43
that maysvibanj have been used
to catchulov slipperyklizav preyplijen, like fishriba.
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koje je vjerojatno koristio
za lov skliskog plijena poput ribe.
I to je bilo otprilike sve što smo znali
01:48
But that was prettyprilično much
all we knewznao
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01:50
about this animalživotinja for the nextSljedeći 100 yearsgodina.
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o toj životinji sljedećih 100 godina.
01:58
My fieldworkterenski rad tookuzeo me to the bordergranica regionregija
betweenizmeđu MoroccoMaroko and AlgeriaAlžir,
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Terenski rad odveo me
na granicu između Maroka i Alžira,
02:03
a placemjesto calledzvao the KemKem KemKem.
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na mjesto pod imenom Kem Kem.
02:05
It's a difficulttežak placemjesto to work in.
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Nije tu lako raditi.
02:08
You have to dealdogovor with sandstormspješčane oluje
and snakeszmije and scorpionsškorpioni,
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Morate se boriti s pješčanim olujama,
zmijama i škorpionima,
02:11
and it's very difficulttežak to find
good fossilsfosili there.
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vrlo je teško tamo pronaći dobre fosile.
02:15
But our hardteško work paidplaćen off.
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Ali naš se težak rad isplatio.
02:17
We discoveredotkriven manymnogi incrediblenevjerojatan specimensprimjerci.
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Pronašli smo puno
nevjerojatnih primjeraka.
02:20
There's the largestnajveći dinosaurdinosaur bonekost
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Ovo je najdulja kost dinosaura
02:21
that had ever been foundpronađeno
in this partdio of the SaharaSahara.
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kad nađena u tom dijelu Sahare.
02:25
We foundpronađeno remainsostaci of giantgigantski
predatorypljačkaški dinosaursdinosauri,
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Našli smo ostatke divovskih
dinosaura predatora,
02:28
medium-sizedsrednje veličine predatorypljačkaški dinosaursdinosauri,
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srednje-velikih dinsosaura predatora
02:31
and sevensedam or eightosam differentdrugačiji kindsvrste
of crocodile-likeKrokodil-kao hunterslovci.
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i sedam ili osam različitih vrsta
grabežljivaca nalik krokodilima.
Ti su se fosili nataložili
u riječnom sustavu.
02:37
These fossilsfosili were depositeddeponirani
in a riverRijeka systemsistem.
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02:40
The riverRijeka systemsistem was alsotakođer home
to a giantgigantski, car-sizedauto-određena mjera coelacanthcoelacanth,
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Riječni sustav bio je stanište
i divovskog Coelicantha veličine auta,
02:44
a monsterčudovište sawfishsawfish,
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čudovišnom pilanu,
02:47
and the skiesnebo over the riverRijeka systemsistem
were filledispunjen with pterosaurspterosaura,
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a nebo iznad riječnog sustava
bilo je napučeno pterosaurima,
02:51
flyingleteći reptilesgmazovi.
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letećim gmazovima.
Bilo je to poprilično opasno mjesto,
02:53
It was a prettyprilično dangerousopasno placemjesto,
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02:55
not the kindljubazan of placemjesto where you'dti bi want
to travelputovati to if you had a time machinemašina.
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nije to baš mjesto koje biste htjeli
posjetiti da imate vremenski stroj.
03:00
So we're findingnalaz all these
incrediblenevjerojatan fossilsfosili of animalsživotinje
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Nalazili smo te nevjerojatne
životinjske fosile
03:03
that livedživjeli alongsideuz SpinosaurusSpinosaurus,
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koji su živjeli u vrijeme Spinosaurusaa,
03:05
but SpinosaurusSpinosaurus itselfsebe proveddokazao
to be very elusivenedostižan.
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ali sam Spinosaurus činio se nedostižan.
03:08
We were just findingnalaz bitskomadići and pieceskomada
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Nalazili smo samo komadiće
03:10
and I was hopingnadajući that we'dmi bismo find
a partialparcijalan skeletonkostur at some pointtočka.
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i nadao sam se da ćemo u
jednom trenutku naći djelomičan kostur.
03:15
FinallyKonačno, very recentlynedavno,
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Konačno, nedavno,
03:17
we were ableu stanju to trackstaza down a digkopati sitemjesto
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uspjeli smo pronaći nalazište
03:20
where a locallokalne fossilfosil hunterlovac foundpronađeno
severalnekoliko boneskosti of SpinosaurusSpinosaurus.
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gdje je lokalni lovac na fosile
pronašao kosti Spinosaurusa.
03:25
We returnedvratio to the sitemjesto,
we collectedprikupljeni more boneskosti.
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Vratili smo se na nalazište
i sakupili još kostiju.
03:28
And so after 100 yearsgodina we finallykonačno
had anotherjoš partialparcijalan skeletonkostur
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I tako smo nakon 100 godina konačno
dobili još jedan djelomičan kostur
03:32
of this bizarrebizarno creaturestvorenje.
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tog bizarnog stvorenja.
03:34
And we were ableu stanju to reconstructrekonstruirati it.
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Mogli smo ga i rekonstruirati.
03:36
We now know that
SpinosaurusSpinosaurus had a headglava
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Sada znamo da je Spinosaurus imao glavu
03:38
a little bitbit like a crocodileKrokodil,
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pomalo nalik krokodilu,
znatno drugačiju od
ostalih dinosaura predatora,
03:39
very differentdrugačiji from other
predatorypljačkaški dinosaursdinosauri,
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03:42
very differentdrugačiji from the T. rexRex.
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znatno drukčiju od Tiranosaura.
03:44
But the really interestingzanimljiv informationinformacija
camedošao from the restodmor of the skeletonkostur.
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Vrlo zanimljive informacije smo
dobili od ostatka kostura.
03:49
We had long spineskralježnica,
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Imao je dugačku kralježnicu
03:51
the spineskralježnica formingformiranje the bigvelika sailjedro.
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s kralješcima koji su oblikovali
ogromno jedro.
03:53
We had legnoga boneskosti, we had skulllubanja boneskosti,
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Našli smo kosti nogu, lubanje,
03:55
we had paddle-shapedu obliku feetnoge, wideširok feetnoge --
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stopala u obliku vesla, široka stopala --
također vrlo neobična, nijedan
drugi dinosaur nema takva stopala.
03:59
again, very unusualneuobičajen, no other
dinosaurdinosaur has feetnoge like this --
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04:02
and we think they maysvibanj have been
used to walkhodati on softmekan sedimentsedimenta,
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Smatramo da ih je koristio
za hodanje po mekanom mulju
04:05
or maybe for paddlingveslanja in the watervoda.
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ili možda za veslanje po vodi.
04:07
We alsotakođer lookedgledao at the fine
microstructuremikrostruktura of the bonekost,
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Proučili smo i mikrostrukturu kostiju,
04:11
the insideiznutra structurestruktura of SpinosaurusSpinosaurus boneskosti,
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unutrašnju strukturu kostiju Spinosaurusa
04:13
and it turnsokreti out that they're
very densegust and compactkompaktan.
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i ispada da su vrlo guste i kompaktne.
04:16
Again, this is something we see in animalsživotinje
that spendprovesti a lot of time in the watervoda,
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To je također karakteristika životinja
koje provode mnogo vremena u vodi.
04:19
it's usefulkoristan for buoyancyArhimedov zakon
controlkontrolirati in the watervoda.
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Potrebne su za kontrolu plovnosti po vodi.
04:23
We C.T.-scanned-skeniranu all of our boneskosti
and builtizgrađen a digitaldigitalni SpinosaurusSpinosaurus skeletonkostur.
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Napravili smo CT-snimak svih kostiju
i izgradili digitalni kostur Spinosaurusa.
04:28
And when we lookedgledao
at the digitaldigitalni skeletonkostur,
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Kada smo promotrili digitalni kostur,
04:30
we realizedshvatio that yes, this was
a dinosaurdinosaur unlikeza razliku od any other.
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shvatili smo da je to bio
dinosaur kao nijedan drugi.
04:35
It's biggerveći than a T. rexRex,
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Veći je od Tiranosaura
04:36
and yes, the headglava has "fish-eatingjesti riba"
writtennapisan all over it,
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i glava mu je prilagođena jedenju ribe,
04:39
but really the entirečitav skeletonkostur has
"water-lovingvoda ljubavi" writtennapisan all over it --
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a cijeli je kostur prilagođen
životu u vodi:
04:43
densegust bonekost, paddle-likepoput vesla feetnoge,
and the hindstražnjih limbsudova are reducedsmanjen in sizeveličina,
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guste kosti, stopala u obliku vesla,
i kraći stražnji udovi,
04:48
and again, this is something
we see in animalsživotinje
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što je karakteristika životinja
04:50
that spendprovesti a substantialznatan amountiznos
of time in the watervoda.
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koje provode mnogo vremena u vodi.
04:54
So, as we fleshedfleshed out our SpinosaurusSpinosaurus --
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Dodali smo meso našem Spinosaurusu i
04:58
I'm looking at musclemišić attachmentspriloge
and wrappingomatanje our dinosaurdinosaur in skinkoža --
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promatrajući našeg Spinosura s
dodatcima mišića te obloženog kožom,
05:02
we realizeostvariti that we're dealingbavljenje
with a riverRijeka monsterčudovište,
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shvaćamo da se radi o
vodenom čudovištu,
05:06
a predatorypljačkaški dinosaurdinosaur, biggerveći than T. rexRex,
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dinosauru predatoru, većem od Tiranosaura,
05:08
the rulervladar of this ancientantički riverRijeka of giantsdivovi,
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vladaru drevnih vodenih divova
05:11
feedinghranjenje on the manymnogi aquaticvodeni animalsživotinje
I showedpokazala you earlierranije on.
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koji se hranio vodenim životinjima
koje sam vam pokazao ranije.
05:14
So that's really what makesmarke this
an incrediblenevjerojatan discoveryotkriće.
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I to je ono što ovo čini
nevjerojatnim otkrićem.
To je dinosaur kao niti jedan drugi.
05:17
It's a dinosaurdinosaur like no other.
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05:18
And some people told me, "WowSjajna osoba,
this is a once-in-a-lifetimejednom u životu discoveryotkriće.
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Ljudi su mi rekli: "Ovo je
otkriće koje se događa jednom u životu.
05:22
There are not manymnogi things left
to discoverotkriti in the worldsvijet."
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Nema više puno toga
za otkriti na ovom svijetu."
05:26
Well, I think nothing could be
furtherunaprijediti from the truthistina.
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Uopće se ne slažem s time.
05:29
I think the Sahara'sSahara je
still fullpuni of treasuresblaga,
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Mislim da je Sahara još
uvijek prepuna blaga
05:32
and when people tell me there are
no placesmjesta left to exploreistražiti,
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i kada mi ljudi kažu da nema
preostalih mjesta za istraživanje,
05:35
I like to quotecitat a famouspoznat dinosaurdinosaur hunterlovac,
RoyRoy ChapmanChapman AndrewsAndrews,
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citiram poznatog lovca na dinosaure
Roya Chapmana Andrewsa
05:39
and he said, "Always, there has been
an adventureavantura just around the cornerugao --
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koji je rekao: "Pustolovine
uvijek čekaju iza ugla,
05:45
and the worldsvijet is still fullpuni of cornerskutovi."
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a svijet je prepun uglova."
05:47
That was truepravi manymnogi decadesdesetljeća agoprije
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To je vrijedilo prije mnogo desteljeća
05:49
when RoyRoy ChapmanChapman AndrewsAndrews
wrotenapisao these lineslinije.
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kada je Roy Chapman Andrews
napisao te retke.
05:51
And it is still truepravi todaydanas.
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A vrijedi i danas.
05:53
Thank you.
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Hvala.
05:54
(ApplausePljesak)
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(Pljesak)
Translated by Martina Juranic
Reviewed by Anja Kolobarić

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nizar Ibrahim - Paleontologist
Nizar Ibrahim scours Northern Africa for clues to what things were like there in the Cretaceous period. A 2015 TED Fellow, he has spearheaded the recent search for the semi-aquatic dinosaur Spinosaurus.

Why you should listen

Paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim, a postdoc at the University of Chicago, wanted to uncover the mystery of the Spinosaurus, a gigantic predatory dinosaur whose only known remains were lost during World War II. After identifying a new skeleton at a dig in North Africa, Ibrahim made the landmark conclusion that the Spinosaurus may have been the largest carnivorous dinosaur to ever live. Its crocodile-like head, dense bones, short legs, and wide, paddle feet suggest it was a water dweller unlike any other. “The entire skeleton has water-loving river monster written all over it,” he says.

Ibrahim is a TED Fellow and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer.

More profile about the speaker
Nizar Ibrahim | Speaker | TED.com