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From: agranok@udenva.UUCP
Newsgroups: talk.origins,sci.bio
Subject: Re: mass extinctions
Message-ID: <3366@udenva.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 3-Apr-87 17:51:30 EST
Article-I.D.: udenva.3366
Posted: Fri Apr  3 17:51:30 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 5-Apr-87 11:19:13 EST
References: <785@scicom.AlphaCDC.COM> <1521@husc6.UUCP> <1453@cadovax.UUCP> <3003@jade.BERKELEY.EDU>
Reply-To: agranok@udenva.UUCP (Alexander Granok)
Organization: U of Denver
Lines: 21
Keywords: Adaptablity
Xref: utgpu talk.origins:498 sci.bio:231
Summary: Reason for sharks' survival

In article <3003@jade.BERKELEY.EDU> jelkind@ruby.berkeley.edu (The Unexpected Tiger) writes:
>
>All of this discussion on mass extinctions has raised a question in my mind,
>which I haven't seen discussed much.
>
>Do any of the catastrophist models of mass extinction explain why the
>ichthyosaurs became extinct but the sharks didn't?
>
>					Richard Schultz
>
As far as I can tell, the reason for the sharks surviving while the ichthyo-
saurs all died has nothing to do with the model itself, but probably lies
somewhere in the area of adaptability.  When the food sources ran out, the
sharks could make use of other types, whereas the marine dinosaurs couldn't.
It's the same sort of thing with coyotes and wolves today.

-- 
                                           
                              Alex Granok 
                              hao!udenva!agranok
                              "Wait a minute.  Strike that.  Reverse it."