# Did dinosaurs carry on? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 6, 2017, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895 "2017-08-06T06:10:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![abashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@abashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abashed)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/1 "2017-08-06T06:10:27Z")
Apart from birds, did some dinosaur species carry on living after the asteroid event 65 m.y. ago? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/2 "2017-08-06T06:40:39Z")
It depends on what you mean by “dinosaurs”. If you follow the fairly strict scientific definition of dinosaur, then no, nothing besides birds survived the extinction event. If your definition of dinosaur allows for some close relatives like crocodiles, then some of those survived. There’s a group called “archosaurs” which includes birds, crocodilians, all of the extinct dinosaurs, and other things that in popular culture we often consider to be dinosaurs that aren’t, like pterosaurs. All of the animals on the “dinosaur” branch of that tree are gone, with the exception of those that became birds. The pterosaur branch is also gone. Of all of the archosaurs, only birds and crocodilians survived. ---
**Author:** ![abashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@abashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abashed)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/3 "2017-08-06T07:06:38Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > It depends on what you mean by “dinosaurs”. If you follow the fairly strict scientific definition of dinosaur, then no, nothing besides birds survived the extinction event. > > If your definition of dinosaur allows for some close relatives like crocodiles, then some of those survived. There’s a group called “archosaurs” which includes birds, crocodilians, all of the extinct dinosaurs, and other things that in popular culture we often consider to be dinosaurs that aren’t, like pterosaurs. All of the animals on the “dinosaur” branch of that tree are gone, with the exception of those that became birds. The pterosaur branch is also gone. > > Of all of the archosaurs, only birds and crocodilians survived. Really? So that asteroid really did seal the dinosaur’s fate. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/4 "2017-08-06T07:10:40Z")
Did anyone else think this thread was going to be about bad-boy dinosaurs carousing? > [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Of all of the archosaurs, only birds and crocodilians survived. This may be old information and no longer accepted, but I think it was Carl Sagan in _Cosmos_ who stated nothing more than 50 pounds’ mass survived the event. ---
**Author:** ![abashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@abashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abashed)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/5 "2017-08-06T07:44:10Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > It depends on what you mean by “dinosaurs”. If you follow the fairly strict scientific definition of dinosaur, then no, nothing besides birds survived the extinction event. > > If your definition of dinosaur allows for some close relatives like crocodiles, then some of those survived. There’s a group called “archosaurs” which includes birds, crocodilians, all of the extinct dinosaurs, and other things that in popular culture we often consider to be dinosaurs that aren’t, like pterosaurs. All of the animals on the “dinosaur” branch of that tree are gone, with the exception of those that became birds. The pterosaur branch is also gone. > > Of all of the archosaurs, only birds and crocodilians survived. I found this on Wikipedia: “There is no evidence that late Maastrichtian non-avian dinosaurs could burrow, swim, or dive, which suggests they were unable to shelter themselves from the worst parts of any environmental stress that occurred at the K–Pg boundary (when the asteroid hit). It is possible that small dinosaurs (other than birds) did survive, but they would have been deprived of food, as herbivorous dinosaurs would have found plant material scarce and carnivores would have quickly found prey in short supply.” > **[Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretaceous%E2%80%93Paleogene_extinction_event)** > > The Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event,\[a\] also known as the Cretaceous–Tertiary (K–T) extinction,\[b\] was a sudden mass extinction of three-quarters of the plant and animal species on Earth, approximately 66 million years ago. The event caused the extinction of all non-avian dinosaurs. Most other tetrapods weighing more than 25 kilograms (55 pounds) also became extinct, with the exception of some ectothermic species such as sea turtles and crocodilians. It marked the end of the As or... ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/6 "2017-08-06T09:01:57Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Did anyone else think this thread was going to be about bad-boy dinosaurs carousing? I thought it was about my wayward son. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/7 "2017-08-06T13:20:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Did dinosaurs carry on? They’d be fools not to, checked baggage fees can really add up. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/8 "2017-08-06T13:21:48Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > This may be old information and no longer accepted, but I think it was Carl Sagan in _Cosmos_ who stated nothing more than 50 pounds’ mass survived the event. On land. > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I thought it was about my wayward son. Hopefully, there’ll be peace when you are done. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/9 "2017-08-06T13:38:07Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > It depends on what you mean by “dinosaurs”. If you follow the fairly strict scientific definition of dinosaur, then no, nothing besides birds survived the extinction event… [snip] Maybe … but maybe not … [“Some Dinosaurs Survived the Asteroid Impact”](https://www.livescience.com/7747-dinosaurs-survived-asteroid-impact.html) – LiveScience – April 28th, 2009 … > [@](#): > > “The great difficulty with this hypothesis — that these are the remains of dinosaurs that survived — is ruling out the possibility that the bones date from before the extinction,” [Lead researcher Jim Fassett of the U. S. Geological Survey in Santa Fe, New Mexico] said. “After being killed and deposited in sands and muds, it is possible for bones to be exhumed by rivers and then incorporated into younger rocks.” We do find dinosaurs bones above the K-Pg boundary … and there’s some evidence that a few of these bones were originally deposited above this boundary … but what few dinosaurs did survive didn’t last very long … ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/10 "2017-08-06T14:14:27Z")
I’ve heard that the extinction did not happen overnight. The dinos went into rapid decline after the asteroid, but it took several thousand years to go extinct. [This](https://www.thoughtco.com/myths-about-dinosaur-extinction-1092145)says 200,000 years. Not sure how reliable it is. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/11 "2017-08-06T15:02:15Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Maybe … but maybe not … > > [“Some Dinosaurs Survived the Asteroid Impact”](https://www.livescience.com/7747-dinosaurs-survived-asteroid-impact.html) – LiveScience – April 28th, 2009 … > > We do find dinosaurs bones above the K-Pg boundary … and there’s some evidence that a few of these bones were originally deposited above this boundary … but what few dinosaurs did survive didn’t last very long … [On the other hand](https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2003RM/finalprogram/abstract_47695.htm)… ---
**Author:** ![abashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@abashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abashed)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/12 "2017-08-06T15:50:25Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > I’ve heard that the extinction did not happen overnight. The dinos went into rapid decline after the asteroid, but it took several thousand years to go extinct. > > [This](https://www.thoughtco.com/myths-about-dinosaur-extinction-1092145)says 200,000 years. Not sure how reliable it is. This is something I suspected but wasn’t sure about. Mind you, compared to how long the dinosaurs reigned they did die out relatively quickly. Basically, the asteroid sealed their fate sooner or later. ---
**Author:** ![abashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@abashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abashed)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/13 "2017-08-06T15:55:03Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [On the other hand](https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2003RM/finalprogram/abstract_47695.htm)… I guess the asteroid hit upset the ecosystem so much that the dinosaurs were on borrowed time since things could never get back to what they once were. When you disrupt the natural balance that much something has to give. I do wonder how long they might have lasted without the strike. Would they have evolved to the level we are today? But that’s another can of worms!:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/14 "2017-08-06T16:00:15Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [On the other hand](https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2003RM/finalprogram/abstract_47695.htm)… Agreed … the burden of proof lies with those who claim a tiny part of dinosaurs survived the impact and evidence for this is very thin … we start with the conjecture that the bones were originally laid down in a specific rock formation and then conjecture that the rocks formed after the K-Pg event … ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/15 "2017-08-06T16:51:34Z")
If they had survived, then by definition they would have evolved to the same level that we did. All things living at the same time are equally evolved. Unless, of course, you count amount of evolution in generations, rather than years. In that case, we’re one of the least-evolved species on the planet. ---
**Author:** ![abashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@abashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abashed)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/16 "2017-08-06T17:00:54Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If they had survived, then by definition they would have evolved to the same level that we did. All things living at the same time are equally evolved. > > Unless, of course, you count amount of evolution in generations, rather than years. In that case, we’re one of the least-evolved species on the planet. Yes, and I gather it was due to the extinction of the dinosaurs that led to the rise of the mammals and eventually to us. Presumably it was because our distinct ancestors were small and could burrow and keep out of harms way that allowed them to survive. I guess they also didn’t need to eat as much food as much larger dinosaurs and this must have helped them. Maybe they made do with underground sources of food like insects but I’m guessing here. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/17 "2017-08-06T17:10:46Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If they had survived, then by definition they would have evolved to the same level that we did. All things living at the same time are equally evolved. Pretty sure he meant would they have evolved into [these guys](http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/11/11/richard-dawkins-smart-dinosaurs/). ---
**Author:** ![abashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@abashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abashed)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/18 "2017-08-06T17:33:25Z")
I’m not sure what dinosaurs would have evolved into because they did not need to evolve, it seems to me. We, on the other hand, originated from small, furry animals some of which eventually took to the trees and evolved into primates. It’s all very speculative, but fun. If dinosaurs had evolved I’m not sure it’s clear that they would have evolved into something like us. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/19 "2017-08-06T17:52:04Z")
They evolved into birds, dood. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895/20 "2017-08-06T18:04:29Z")
> [@abashed](#): > > If dinosaurs had evolved I’m not sure it’s clear that they would have evolved into something like us. You’re not sure it’s clear? I’m sure it’s NOT clear that they would have evolved into something like us. But it’d be interesting to poll all scientists or all the SDMB and see… Though I’ll admit, it’s much fun to speculate, and Id love to join the expedition to find that one forgotten civilization where the Brainy-saurus society is found. (Will it be an undiscovered island? A patch of Antarctica warmed by geothermal energy? Or that odd suburb of Durango where stray dogs keep disappearing and there’s something funny about the high school swim team…) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-dinosaurs-carry-on/792895.md?page=2)