living fossil

noun

1. an organism that is a living example of an otherwise extinct group and that has remained virtually unchanged in structure and function over a long period of time, as the coelacanth and the horseshoe crab.

living fossil

noun

1. an animal or plant, such as the coelacanth and ginkgo, belonging to a group most of whose members are extinct

Word History and Origins

Origin of living fossil¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

A living fossil is a term for a species that was once known only from its fossil record and was later discovered in living form, apparently preserving the physical features from long-gone ancestors.

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The Ginkgo Biloba in Leiden, Netherlands, is a 240 year-old "living fossil" and the second oldest in Europe.

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A living fossil had been found, and botanists were excited.

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In 1859 Charles Darwin coined the term “living fossil” to describe lineages that have looked the same for tens of millions of years, such as the coelacanth, sturgeon, and horseshoe crab.

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"It's like finding a living fossil at the genetic level."

Read more on Science Daily