Integrated Writing TPO 29The passage states that paleontologists believe that the edmontosaur, which was an elephant-sized dinosaur, was probably migrating during the winter. This hypothesis is mostly based on the many fossils that were found on Alaska's

Integrated Writing TPO 29
The passage states that paleontologists believe that the edmontosaur, which was an elephant-sized dinosaur, was probably migrating during the winter. This hypothesis is mostly based on the many fossils that were found on Alaska's North Slope, a region with arctic climate that is very cold during the winter. The author gives three reasons to support this theory. However, the professor believes these reasons to be inadequate for such conclusion. Therefore, she refutes the author’s reasons by suggesting an alternative explanation for each of them.

First, the professor says that, although the dinosaur fed on plants that does not mean that it could not find food at winter. As it appears, the North Slope had warmer summers at the time that the dinosaur was living there. At summer, the sun was in the sky twenty four hours for months. That would make it possible for a lot of plants to grow during the summer. As there was a lot of plants growing during the summer, there would have been a lot of dead plants for the dinosaur to eat at the winter in order to stay alive.

Second, the fact the dinosaur was living in a herd does not necessarily means that it should have migrated. Many animals live in herds, and they do not migrate at winter. Migration has many other advantages for the animal. One advantage can be to get extra protection from the herd against the predators.

Third, although the edmontosaur had huge body that made it capable of migrating long distances, their juveniles would not be able to keep up. They would have slow the herd, and the herd would never leave their juveniles behind.