DOI

Isolated sauropod teeth from the Early Cretaceous Teete locality in Yakutia (Eastern Siberia, Russia) are the only evidence that sauropods lived in high latitudes (palaeolatitude estimate of N 62 degrees) in the Northern Hemisphere. The spatulate broad tooth crowns of adult individuals lack marginal denticles while these are present in a juvenile tooth. The teeth have overlapping facets and likely belong to a basal macronarian. The juvenile tooth indicates that sauropods reproduced in high latitudes and possibly stayed there around the year. The Teete vertebrate assemblage comprises both endothermic, or presumably endothermic tetrapods (theropod dinosaurs, tritylodontids and mammals), and ectothermic tetrapods (salamanders, turtles, choristoderes and lizards), but no crocodyliforms. This suggests a temperate climate, with an annual mean temperature well above freezing level but below 14 degrees C.

Original languageEnglish
Number of pages7
JournalLethaia
DOIs
StatePublished - 27 Nov 2019

    Research areas

  • Asia, Cretaceous, Dinosauria, polar dinosaurs, Sauropoda, FAUNA, SIBERIA, POLAR DINOSAURS, 1ST RECORD

    Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Paleontology

ID: 49947702