Yale University ecologists reveal a lizard lineage that rode out the dinosaur-killing asteroid event with unexpected evolutionary survival traits. Night lizards (family Xantusiidae) survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction event 66 million years ago (formerly known as the K-T extinction) despite having small broods and occupying limited ranges, a departure from the theory of how other species are thought to have persisted in the aftermath of the event.



Summary

Yale ecologists discovered that night lizards (Xantusiidae) survived the dinosaur-killing asteroid impact 66 million years ago, defying conventional survival theories. These lizards, characterized by small broods and restricted habitats, seemingly lacked the traits thought necessary to endure the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction. This finding suggests that other unknown strategies may have allowed certain species to weather catastrophic events. The discovery challenges existing understandings of how animals survived mass extinctions and highlights the complexity of evolutionary resilience.

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