title: Hadrosaurs were perennial polar residents.
abstract: Recent biomechanical evidence has fuelled debate surrounding the winter habits of the hadrosaurian dinosaur Edmontosaurus (ca. 70 Ma). Using histological characteristics recorded in bone, we show that polar Edmontosaurus endured the long winter night. In contrast, the bone microstructure of temperate Edmontosaurus is inconsistent with a perennially harsh environment. Differences in the bone microstructure of polar and temperate Edmontosaurus consequently dispute the hypothesis that polar populations were migratory. The overwintering signal preserved in the microstructure of polar Edmontosaurus bone offers significant insight into the life history of dinosaurs within the Late Cretaceous Arctic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town, South Africa. anusuya.chinsamy-turan@uct.ac.za
authors.forename: Anusuya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chinsamy
authors.forename: Daniel B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Allison R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Tumarkin-Deratzian
authors.forename: Anthony R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Fiorillo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001110:Arctic Regions; D025061:Dinosaurs / Q000502:physiology*; D012621:Seasons