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living fossil

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.02 sec.
living fossil
n.
An organism, such as the coelacanth or ginkgo, that is similar in appearance to its fossilized distant ancestors and usually has no extant close relatives.
living fossil
n
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biology) an animal or plant, such as the coelacanth and ginkgo, belonging to a group most of whose members are extinct


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It's an alarming distinction, given that the sturgeon is a living fossil, a status that comes only with surviving aeons of challenges.
The Philosopher Fish: Sturgeon, Caviar, and the Geography of Desire by Science News
``It's now outlived any predator,'' she said of the tree species, one of the oldest on Earth, that she calls a living fossil.
BIOLOGISTS TO PRESERVE CAMPUS TREES DURING CONSTRUCTION AT VALLEY ... by Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)
Zoologists (scientists who study animals), on the other hand, value the coelacanth as a living fossil.
Creature from the Black Lagoon by Cannell, Michael / Science World
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