Re: query about K-T extinction

[Tom Holtz <tholtz@geochange.er.usgs.gov>]

>I guess what I'm getting at is this:
>The argument I seem to always see is that the dinos dies out because
>they were the biggest animals, and I can accept that in the case of
>large sauropods and large meat-eaters like T-Rex. But weren't there
>little (like dog-sized) dinos around at the time? And if so, how can
>you explain how they didn't survive if bigger non-dino land species
>did, based on the theory above?
>
>Sorry to ramble. I just keep having this problem with _all_ dinos dying
>out because of this when other families limped at least partially through.
>Were there any non-dino animals where _no_ species lived trough the K/T?
>I'm thinking land animals, as I'm sure there are some of these in the ocean.
>
>Just wondering out loud again...

Enantiornithine birds (globally distributed), some North American marsupial
clades, and the last few (one?) species of pterosaurs died out at the K-T.

                                
                 Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.                  Phone: 703-648-5280      
                 Vertebrate Paleontologist         Fax:    703-648-5420
tholtz@geochange.er.usgs.gov ------------>       th81@umail.umd.edu
U.S. Geological Survey          ------------->       University of Maryland
Branch of Paleontology & Stratigraphy ---->       Department of Geology
MS 970 National Center
Reston, VA  22092               ------------->        College Park, MD  20742
                                                          U.S.A.