Why didn’t the asteroid that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs on Earth also lead to the extinction of all other living species?
In: Planetary Science
Large animals in general have a harder time adapting to changes. They need a lot more resources to survive, don’t breed as frequently as smaller animals, and start out with a smaller population. If 95% of your food source dies and you’re an elephant, your population quickly eats the remaining 5% and dies. If you’re a mouse and 95% of your food source dies, the scrappiest/luckiest of you can still survive on that 5%. Even if 98% of you die, your population is still big enough to breed and survive.
Latest Answers