Dinosaur Survival in the K-Pg

I am more interested in how dinosaurs lived than how they died, because we have a pretty good idea what caused the extinction. However, how dinosaurs survived after the Chixulub impact is fascinating, because that was what ultimately spelt their doom. The extinction lasted anywhere within 10,000 years. So, what exactly did the dinosaurs (and other Mesozoic animals) have to deal with after the asteroid hit?

The Background

While some people still debate about what caused the extinction (I'm looking at you Bakker), I think it's pretty clear what happened. A gigantic 10 kilometer asteroid struck the Yucatan Peninsula and sent out a massive shockwave, as well as debris, across the land. It should be noted that most of the planet would've been relatively safe at first. For example, the Hell Creek Formation was far enough north to not be affected by the blast front or shockwave. The only places that would've been in major trouble when the asteroid first impacted would've been areas like Mexico, a few southern states, and the northernmost reaches of South America. There is evidence in Mexico and Brazil of giant tsunamis, probably caused by the impact itself.

But then would come the beginning of the end. The debris from the asteroid impact would come raining down over various parts of the planet. This would've caused global wildfires. In fact, some of the soot in the boundary seems to indicate that the entire terrestrial biosphere burned down! So, already, most of the plant life would have been wiped out, and many animals would perish either by the falling debris, or fires. All of the soot, and debris would've formed a massive cloud, covering the planet, and blocking the sun. The impact night would've lasted almost a year, and during that time, plants continue to die, and herbivores begin to die due to a lack of food. It is also thought that a global impact winter would've been the end result, creating a very tough world to live in.

Survival After Impact

Obviously, dinosaurs were still present after the impact. It is pretty unlikely that they all died during the initial effects of the blast. So, how is post impact K-Pg Earth? Well, from all of the fires, there would be lots of carbon dioxide in the environment. In addition, plant life is rare, the entire landscape is destroyed, and temperatures dropped to a level that most dinosaurs have never experienced before. Those living at the poles probably would've handled things a bit better. Also, there is not a lot of clean water left, most of it either gone, or choked with ash and other debris. How does anything survive this?

Herbivores would be impacted the most. The lack of plants would spell doom for them. However, a few of them may have had some adaptations that would prove useful in times like these; for instance we have coprolites from them showing they ate wood. This backfires automatically however, because pretty much the only wood around would've been charred and burnt. I wonder how that would've tasted... Okay, so never mind, that actually doesn't help... Anyways, herbivores can be carnivorous on occasion, so maybe they survived by eating other animals out of utter desperation. Ankylosaurs were recently found to have these long, powerful tongues, which could be perfect for slurping up things like eggs, baby dinosaurs, and maybe even capture ants or termites. However, adaptations like these would not have lasted that long. One way or another, the end result, is death.

Carnivores would also have a tough time. With fewer and fewer herbivores, they would not have a lot of food available. The larger predators, such as Tyrannosaurus, would die first, due to needing more food to survive. Carnivores could also scavenge carcasses, but at their own risk; rotting carcasses can sometimes have deadly bacteria hiding in them. Cannibalism would be the last resort for many species. In addition, due to shrinking resources and the harsh environment, animals in general would've been much more aggressive and confrontational, possibly attacking anything in sight if hungry enough.

Troodon (actually would be Pectinodon) surviving in the post impact world in Dinosaur Revolution

The only animals really to have a chance in the hellhole would be omnivores. However, most of the omnivorous dinosaurs in the Maastrichtian were either predominately herbivorous or carnivorous. Things like troodontids could feed on a variety of food items, including; small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, as well as leaves, fruits, and seeds. Other ways that dinosaurs could survive the post impact world could be burrowing, like small ornithopods, such as Thescelosaurus, are thought to have done.
Now, what about reproduction? Dinosaurs seemed to be k-strategists, that is, laying a crap ton of eggs. Sauropods lay anywhere between 10-40 eggs a clutch. So, that would mean dinosaurs would have a huge advantage in the after impact world, right? Well, it depends. It seems that dinosaurs had parental care similar to crocodilians or ratites; protecting the young from predators, but leaving the young on their own to find their own food. And in a world of limited resources, many young would die... I find it a bit odd that birds, who lay fewer eggs and provide extensive parental care, survived the extinction, whilst their non-avian cousins did not. My guess is that birds were just lucky, although I can see some advantages in their reproductive lifestyle.

Palaeocene Dinosaurs: Yee or Nee?

It is nearly universally accepted that all non-avian dinosaurs were extinct when the Cenozoic began. However, there are a few holdouts who point to fossils, suggesting that dinosaurs lived on into the early days of the Paleocene. One such fossil is that of a hadrosaur femur found in New Mexico, dated to around 64.8-64.5 million years. However, many paleontologists don't accept this, suggesting it was simply reworked into younger deposits. A single bone doesn't necessarily prove anything. If anything, that is evidence of fossils being reworked. You wouldn't expect many bones to be found if it was reworked. If someone finds an articulated specimen of a Tyrannosaurus in Paleocene deposits, tell me please, I would be most intrigued.
However, there is another way to tell people there were Cenozoic dinosaurs; when exactly did the Mesozoic end? When the asteroid hit? After that? I think that when the asteroid hit, the Mesozoic ended, and so when the world was in the midst of the impact winter, the Cenozoic was just beginning. Using that logic, there were Paleocene dinosaurs.