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Why did crocodiles, turtles, lizards and birds survive the Cretaceous-Palaeogene extinction event, but non-avian dinosaurs didn’t?
Mike Follows
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, UK
The Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event that occurred 66 million years ago is believed to have been caused by an asteroid crashing into Earth just off the Yucatan peninsula in south-eastern Mexico. The event caused catastrophic environmental changes, including firestorms, tsunamis, darkness from soot and dust, global cooling and ecosystem collapse.
While many species went extinct, certain groups were better adapted to survive. The survival of crocodiles, reptiles and avian theropod dinosaurs (the ancestors of modern birds) can…
