Re: no marine dinos/no viviparous dinos.

[NJPharris@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/4/02 2:31:32 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
david.marjanovic@gmx.at writes:

> > Flying seabirds certainly can and do cross the equator.
>  
>  Loons have done it only once, BTW.

This reminds me of a question I've been meaning to ask.

Given the current distribution of loons/divers in the northern hemisphere 
only, and the recent claims that loons and penguins are sister groups (anyone 
have refs?), is it possible that the Antarctic "loon" (it's *Polarornis*, 
right?) is actually on the penguin branch of the family tree?

Then again, how good is the fossil record for Gaviiformes?  Is it possible 
that _Gavia_ (to which all extant loon species belong) is the only northern 
loon genus?

--Nick P.