Definify.com
Definition 2024
living_fossil
living fossil
English
Noun
living fossil (plural living fossils)
- Any species discovered first as a fossil and believed extinct, but which is later found living; an organism that has remained unchanged over geological periods
- The coelacanth and the dawn redwood are living fossils.
- Any living species which very closely resembles fossil relatives in most anatomical details.
- Crocodiles are living fossils that haven't changed their appearance much in millions of years.