2019/11/28 by Alexander O. Averianov, Pavel P. Skutschas, Rico Schellhorn +6 · 2 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Ichthyology and Marine Biology
paper · doi:10.1111/let.12362
openalex publication_date 2019/11/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
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°) 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°C.