Re: Theories on the extinction of dinosaurs

[TomHopp@aol.com]

In a message dated 11/13/99 4:14:04 AM, Larry Febo wrote:

<< As for those large marine reptiles??? Maybe they were warm-

blooded? (it seems a possible corollary to this hypothesis, as if they were

cold-blooded, surely some of them might have survived with the sharks...no? >>

Again, on the super-hot shockwave blast theme: Any sea creature that had to 
come to the surface to breath would have trouble getting through the upper 
2-3 meters to the surface, given that it would be boiling. Any creatures like 
sharks that could dive for a few hours or more, could have survived. Hence 
mososaurs could have been cold blooded, and still not survive. Plesiosaurs 
warm blooded? -- fine, and how about parboiled?

I can tell people are mystified by all those cute little flying birdies who 
somehow made it past K/T. But it would be a good exercise to catalog the 
number of living genera that exist in far-flung polar environments, and which 
spend at least some of their time in burrows and caves. You might be 
surprised. A cretaceous neornithine radiation might even have made it through 
a heat-blast, given a similarly broad range of genera living under the dirt.

I don't doubt that there was a dust cloud and cooling, and that these may 
have added a predominantly insectivore/endotherm character to the ultimate 
survivors, but that may only have served to winnow down those who first 
survived the blast.

At some point after blast-dust, you get to just about the right mix of 
survivors. All due, then, to the impact.

- Tom Hopp