living fossil
Any species discovered first as a fossil and believed extinct, but which is later…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 gingko is a living fossil.
Гингко — живое ископаемое.
Meaning
2 sensesAny 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.
Dauerform, lebendes Fossil
живые ископаемыеživyje iskopajemyje
живі викопніžyvi vykopni
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.
Examples
3 sentencesThe gingko is a living fossil.
ruГингко — живое ископаемое. — Wezel
Are birds living fossils?
He is a living fossil!
ruОн - ходячее ископаемое! — Biga
deEr ist ein lebendes Fossil! — naochan
Translations
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Origin
The term was coined by the English biologist, geologist, and naturalist Charles Darwin (18The term was coined by the English biologist, geologist, and naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) in his work On the Origin of Species (1859): see the quotation below.
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