Ugrunaaluk Kuukpikensis Arctic Dinosaur Discovered

Did dinosaurs, like modern reptiles, need to bask in the sun and heat to survive? Or were they warm-blooded, like the birds that would become their only surviving descendants — able to survive in the cold and dark? Erickson and Druckenmiller’s new species shows that the answer may be quite complicated.

A duck-billed dinosaur similar to Edmontosaurus has been found to live in a region with temperatures averaging in the low 40s F.

Alaska dinosaur: This duck-billed vegetarian grew up to 30 feet long, university says http://t.co/gYru6uHSy3 pic.twitter.com/7KDImbK7Iq

— Kyle Hopkins (@kylehopkinsAK) September 22, 2015

A large collection (over 10,000 bones) of Ugrunaaluk Kuukpikensis (“ancient grazer”) fossils were found in Alaska and may provide crucial clues that illuminate exactly how versatile these creatures were.

Researchers announced these findings on September 22nd, 2015 in the journal Acta Paleontologica Polonica.