[meteorite-list] Giant Dinosaurs Arrived With A Bang

From: S.Singletary <jumper_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:04:49 2004
Message-ID: <5.0.2.1.2.20020517152714.01abe790_at_hesiod>

At 12:22 PM 5/17/2002 -0700, Edward Hodges wrote:

>Fred- The Komodo Dragon wasn't around 65 million years ago, and either
>were crocodiles like the ones you see now. They have evolved to become a
>more effeciant and smaller predator. So, can you think over any large
>Reptiles, that have survived for at least the last 65 million years that
>are still the same size? The point is that all large creatures were wiped
>out 65 million years ago. It's not clear if the impact killed them, if the
>nuclear winter killed them, if they starved, or were wiped out by viruses.
>The fact remains that ALL large creatures were wiped from the face of the
>earth, with the possible exception of some sea creatures, 65 million years
>ago by or from the effects of a large impact. By the way, 10ft., and 25
>ft. are hardly large animals when compared to the large animals that
>existed pre-impact.


What about whales? Anyone know when the first whales appear in the fossil
record? I seem to remember something about a fossil find in the
afghan/pakistan region that was thought to be transitional between whales
as we know them and a land bound animal. Don't know the age of the find
though. Pakicephalus I think was the name but I am definitely not positive
about that.

Steven



Steven Singletary
54-1224
Dept. Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
M.I.T.
Cambridge, MA 02139
Tel - 617.253.6398
Fax - 617.253.7102
Received on Fri 17 May 2002 03:30:54 PM PDT