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SV: Why Did Mammals Survive the 'K/T Extinction'?



The "being better at avoid being broiled" is a good, but not perfect fit
with the survivors of the K/T extinction. Most, but not all avian
lineages surviving the K/T-extinction are/were hole-nesters, but for
example galliforms are not (though if the megapode breeding strategy is
primitive in galliformes, they may have survived as eggs).
Also the only large animals to survive were aquatic, which is a
reasonable fit, but then why did no large marine tetrapods survive? In
this case one has to surmise that the (well documented) collapse of
primary production (phytoplankton) in the sea killed of e. g. mosasaurs
and hesperorns (though early penguins apparently survived, penguins now
being known from the Maastrichtian of Chatham Island).

Tommy Tyrberg
 

-----Ursprungligt meddelande-----
Från: owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu [mailto:owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu] För Paul
Heinrich
Skickat: den 3 februari 2010 05:13
Till: dinosaur@usc.edu
Ämne: Why Did Mammals Survive the 'K/T Extinction'?

Probing Question: Why did mammals survive the 'K/T extinction'?
Thursday by Nick Bascom, Research/Penn State,  January 28, 2010

http://live.psu.edu/story/44042

Why Did Mammals Survive the 'K/T Extinction'? Science Daily
January 31, 2010,

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100131221348.htm

Yours,

Paul Heinrich