living fossil
Ancient form persisting
A living fossil is a species that has survived largely unchanged for millions of years while related species have gone extinct.
The coelacanth, ginkgo tree, and horseshoe crab are classic examples—organisms that closely resemble their ancient fossil ancestors.
The term extends figuratively to anything or anyone seeming to belong to an earlier era: My uncle's a living fossil—still uses a flip phone and refuses to email.
Primordial fish still swimming
- ginkgoAncient Chinese deciduous tree
- tuataraLast rhynchocephalian species
- nautilusChambered marine mollusk
- horseshoe crabSpike-tailed marine arthropod
cycad · lungfish · sturgeon · platypus · horsetail · hoatzin · garfish · crocodilian
Remaining alive against odds
- enduranceSustained effort capacity
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- continuityUninterrupted progression or coherence
- relictBiological or legal survivor
unchanged · stasis · stability · permanence · survivor · adaptation · lineage · unbroken
Before documented civilization
- geological timeEarth's age measured in eras
- MesozoicAge of Reptiles
- PaleozoicEarly complex-life epoch
- morphologyStudy of structural forms
specimen · discovery · Charles Darwin · classification · phylogeny · comparative anatomy · excavation · museum
Native to one area
- isolatedSeparated from others
- nicheRecessed wall space
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
endangered · protected · biodiversity · population · specialized · distribution · microhabitat · pristine environment
coelacanth
Primordial fish still swimming
- ginkgoAncient Chinese deciduous tree
- tuataraLast rhynchocephalian species
- nautilusChambered marine mollusk
horseshoe crab · cycad · lungfish · sturgeon · platypus · horsetail · hoatzin · garfish · crocodilian · okapi
survival
Remaining alive against odds
- enduranceSustained effort capacity
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- continuityUninterrupted progression or coherence
relict · unchanged · stasis · stability · permanence · survivor · adaptation · lineage · unbroken · ancient
prehistoric
Before documented civilization
- geological timeEarth's age measured in eras
- MesozoicAge of Reptiles
- PaleozoicEarly complex-life epoch
morphology · specimen · discovery · Charles Darwin · classification · phylogeny · comparative anatomy · excavation · museum · taxonomy
endemic
Native to one area
conservation · endangered · protected · biodiversity · population · specialized · distribution · microhabitat · pristine environment
- evolutionevolution, natural selection, mutation, adaptation, speciation
- paleontologydinosaurs, paleontology, dinosaur bones, dinosaur fossils, fossils
- Species Discoveryexpedition, field research, specimen, DNA analysis, endemic species
- big treesredwood, sequoia, giant sequoia, baobab, eucalyptus
- fossilsdinosaur bones, ammonite, amber, ammonites, fossils
- hereditygenes, DNA, gene, chromosomes, genetics
lively, living, fossil, liveliness, livelihood, outlive, livable, fossilized, fossilize