RE: Extinction

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

On Tue, 21 Mar 2000, Allan Edels wrote:

> Also,
> the bias towards the survival of smaller animals is very important,
> especially concerning dinosaurs.

I agree.  But it suggests more than one hypothesis.  Another great unmet
challenge is our inability to explain the "re-evolution" of this
outrageously successful body form.  In a word, why no convergence?  This
cannot be explained by a single "event"!

>     As to the small dinosaurs, it is possible that the only surviving small
> dinosaurs WERE the birds, possibly due to their greater mobility.

But why _only_ neornithines? All birds were mobile, surely.