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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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of living fossil1

First recorded in 1920–25
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Example Sentences

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

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.

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

Several of those compounds also trigger receptors in bony fish such as zebrafish and the “living fossil” coelacanth, and all of them taste bitter to humans.

The species is often referred to as a living fossil—a category that also includes horseshoe crabs and royal ferns, among others—because it’s a remnant of a once diverse group that existed millions of years ago.

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