A new hesperornithiform (Aves) specimen from the Late Cretaceous Canadian High Arctic with comments on high latitude hesperornithiform diet

Here we describe a new hesperornithiform specimen from the Upper Cretaceous Kanguk Formation of Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada. This specimen (NUVF 286) is referred to cf. Hesperornis sp. based on size and shape of femora and teeth preserved with other skeletal elements. Previous osteohistologic anal...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wilson, Laura Elizabeth, Chin, Karen, Cumbaa, Stephen
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: NRC Research Press (a division of Canadian Science Publishing) 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1807/74363
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/cjes-2016-0053
Description
Summary:Here we describe a new hesperornithiform specimen from the Upper Cretaceous Kanguk Formation of Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada. This specimen (NUVF 286) is referred to cf. Hesperornis sp. based on size and shape of femora and teeth preserved with other skeletal elements. Previous osteohistologic analyses indicate a sub-adult ontogenetic stage at the time of death. This new cf. Hesperornis specimen includes the first teeth associated with a high-latitude hesperornithiform, allowing for comments on the trophic behavior of these birds. Paleoecological reconstructions based on current knowledge of polar assemblages and comparisons to modern birds suggest that high-latitude hesperornithiform birds may have had more varied diets than previously assumed. The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author.