What If??
Greetings. I happened to come across this image while meandering online, and it immediately caught my attention. The image suggests a fascinating possibility, one that did not come to pass, but one that is not all that really far fetched.
The Cretaceous/Paleogene extinction event is the most well-known of the extinction events that have transpired in the Earth's long and storied history. The Chicxulub impactor is the most likely culprit, with a few other environmental factors at play, all resulting in the extinction of some iconic species of fauna and flora, including the non-avian dinosaurs.
But what if the Chicxulub asteroid had never crashed into the Earth?
By the Late Cretaceous, the dinosaurs had attained an incredible level of evolutionary diversity and advancement, with intelligent, specialized, and endothermic species inhabiting all of the planet's continents, in all habitats and environmental conditions. Whereas modern-day reptiles are far less advanced, the saltwater crocodile not withstanding, Cretaceous Period dinosaurs were even living and thriving at the poles, in conditions that present substantial challenges to even the most well-adapted mammalian species currently in existence.
If the Chicxulub impactor had not arrived 66 million years ago, how would the dinosaurs have continued? Would the theropods have continued to become more and more intelligent and specialized? Likely so. Would the ceratopsians advance enough to spread into habitats once outside of their physical capabilities? Likely so. Would other Cretaceous reptiles like the pterosaurs and the mosasaurs have attained evolutionary heights never before dreamed possible? Likely so. Evolutionary processes offer the opportunity for the appearance of all sorts of forms, each unique, each awe-inspiring in their own special way. It may not be objectively scientific, but it is always true, and it has always been so on the blue planet we happen to reside on.
We humans would likely never have arrived on the scene, as is the case with all the other mammals who have been so successful since the horrendous end of the Cretaceous. The ecological niches left behind by the dinosaurs' extinction would never have been vacated if the Chicxulub impactor had not arrived on that horrible day, and as a result, the mammals would have remained at the dinosaurs' feet, unable to advance to any appreciable degree. The planet might now be populated by woolly ceratopsians, or speedy theropods with opposable thumbs and technology, or even bipedal herbivorous ornithopods capable of language and complex social interactions. But alas, that never came to pass, for a ten-kilometer long rock from outer space came to visit, and killed off all the non-avian dinosaurs; adults, young, and adolescents alike. Many babies were born on the day of the impact, only having the opportunity to open their eyes to the wonderful world before them before death came calling. Whole families dead, never to come back to life. Extinction is a permanent and sad occurrence.
What if?
Thank you for your time and indulgence.
This is a well-reasoned exploration into of one of the biggest "what if" scenarios in Earth's history. I really appreciate how you grounded the speculation in actual evolutionary trends, especially the diversity, adaptability, and endothermic traits many dinosaurs had by the Late Cretaceous. Your point about their ability to thrive in polar regions is a great reminder of just how advanced they truly were.
ReplyDeleteYou also make a strong case that, without the Chicxulub impact, dinosaurs likely would have continued radiating into even more specialized and potentially intelligent forms, while mammals would have remained limited to the shadows of larger, more dominant species. That perspective aligns well with what many paleontologists suggest about the ecological bottleneck that the K-Pg extinction event created. The sobering reminder is that extinction events don't just erase species, they erase all of the evolutionary futures they might have had. I would love to see a piece written about the evolutionary possibility of what lies ahead for humanity...or on second thought, maybe not. That may be a frightening subject to delve into.
Thanks for your thoughts on the article. In my opinion, no topic is frightening to tackle, not if our species has hopes of continuing to evolve and advance. I appreciate your comments.
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