Living fossils are those species that have retained the same form over millions of years. They have few or no living relatives. Most of these animals have changed relatively little since their origins.
Did you know that some archaic species that lived millions of years ago have survived for a long time and still live alongside us? The anatomy of these species has remained unchanged and these relics of the past are called living fossils.
The term “living fossil” refers to those species that have retained the same form over millions of years. They have few or no living relatives. Most of these animals have changed relatively little since their origins. They have often survived several mass extinctions.
It was English naturalist Charles Darwin who introduced the concept of a “living fossil”. He coined the term in his book On the Origin of Species (1859). He described them as species that are still in existence but belonging to an old lineage. While most species have been evolving, these underwent slow rates of evolution. The appearance of these are mostly unchanged from their extinct fossil relatives.
They have survived from an earlier period or in a primitive form, have long-enduring lineages and also belong to a group with low diversity. Their DNA has hardly changed in millions of years.
Some examples of living fossils include coelacanths, horseshoe crabs, tuataras, komodo dragon, aardvark, red panda, nautilus and purple frog. The tree Ginkgo biloba is the only living species of its group. It dates back almost 300 million years in the fossil record.
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