Re: Bird and mammal K-T survival

[John Bois <jbois@umd5.umd.edu>]

On Sun, 26 Aug 2001, Ken Kinman wrote:

>      Neornitheans may well have been out-competing enantiornitheans at the 
> end of the Cretaceous, so much so that the latter had perhaps become 
> relatively rare in Antarctica.  However, I also believe that if the bolide 
> had not hit the Earth, that we would still have enantiornitheans living in 
> some areas to this very day, much as monotremes have done (or perhaps been 
> even more successful like marsupials).

Monotreme survival may be dependent upon isolation in a milder predation
regime.  Birds (with wings) have less access to such biogeographical
perks.