Paleoecological implications of Alaskan terrestrial vertebrate fauna in latest Cretaceous time at high paleolatitudes

Research Article| June 01, 1993 Paleoecological implications of Alaskan terrestrial vertebrate fauna in latest Cretaceous time at high paleolatitudes William A. Clemens; William A. Clemens 1Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar L. Gayle Nelms L. Gayle Nelms 1Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information William A. Clemens 1Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 L. Gayle Nelms 1Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1993) 21 (6): 503–506. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1993)021<0503:PIOATV>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation William A. Clemens, L. Gayle Nelms; Paleoecological implications of Alaskan terrestrial vertebrate fauna in latest Cretaceous time at high paleolatitudes. Geology 1993;; 21 (6): 503–506. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1993)021<0503:PIOATV>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The latest Cretaceous cool temperate environment of the Alaskan North Slope included dinosaurs (some species represented by both juveniles and adults) and mammals, all probably endothermic, and freshwater fish among its terrestrial vertebrate fauna. No traces have been found of amphibians or nondinosaurian reptiles, ectothermic vertebrates that are abundantly represented in approximately contemporaneous faunas of North American middle paleolatitudes. A geologically brief period of intense cold and darkness has been hypothesized as the primary cause of terminal Cretaceous extinctions. However, the extinction of the lineages of Alaskan dinosaurs and mammals, in contrast to the survival of most lineages of amphibians and nondinosaurian reptiles into the Tertiary, contradicts this hypothesis. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.