Re: Speculative dino species

[Jeff Hecht <jeff.hecht@sff.net>]

Nobody's mentioned the giant pterosaurs or birds apparently wiped out 
by the KT extinction.

If pterosaurs survived, I could see them retaining the giant air bird 
niche -- replacing condors and vultures, for example. What were the 
largest flying birds known from the Cretaceous? I know the small 
pterosaurs appear to have been gone, but it's intriguing to envision 
separate groups of large flyers (pterosaurs) and moderate to small 
ones (birds).

What about large aquatic birds? Would they have had any advantages 
over the marine reptiles?

-- Jeff Hecht