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A go fossil is a species that has n’t evolve significantly for millions of year and closely resembles ancestors found in the fossil phonograph recording .
Charles Darwin coined the full term " living fogey " in 1859 to trace living metal money that still calculate like their ancestors from millions of years ago and were often the last surviving lineage . Anatomically , these species tend to look unaltered , although genetically metal money are always evolving .
Goblin sharks have been swimming Earth’s oceans for 125 million years.
The term " living fogey " has been hotly debate by scientist as the definition of what constitutes unaltered , and over what time period of time , vary widely . But generally , live fogey are ancient species with an anatomy that still nearly resembles related to fossil beast from earlier in evolutionary story .
Here are 12 of the most riveting animation fogy .
Coelacanth (Coelacanthiformes)
The coelacanth is an elusive , deep - ocean dwelling ancient bony fish observe off the coasts of Africa and Indonesia . Coelacanths first emerged in the fossil criminal record 400 million years ago during theDevonian Period(419.2 to 358.9 million year ago ) , and stopped seem around the meter non - avian dinosaurs became nonextant .
scientist thought that thecritically endangeredcreatures had belong extinct over 65 million years ago — until theWest Indian Ocean coelacanth(Latimeria chalumnae ) was discovered living off the coast of South Africa in 1938 . Due to this unexpected return , it became make love as a Lazarus coinage .
Latimeria chalumnae can grow up to 6.6 feet ( 2 metre ) in duration and weigh up to 198 pounds ( 90 kilograms ) . Andone studyfound grounds that these animate being can live up to 100 yr .
The coelacanth is known as a Lazarus species as it was thought to have gone extinct 65 million years ago — until it was discovered alive in 1938.
Because the crude species has multiple sarcoid lobed - louver that moderately resemble limb , many scientists remember Latimeria chalumnae could have play a role in the evolution of fish to terrestrial animals .
Horseshoe crab (Limulidae)
Horseshoe crabs first appeared over 300 million year ago , take a leak them even older than the non - avian dinosaur . The specie has n’t evolved much in that fourth dimension . Although shoe crabs closely resemble prehistorical crabs , they are more closely relate to spiders and scorpions .
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The four species of horseshoe crab — the Atlantic horseshoe crab(Limulus polyphemus)found in North and Central America ’s Atlantic sea-coast , and three mintage Indo - Pacific(Tachypleus gigas),Tri - spinal column ( Tachypleus tridentatus ) andMangrove ( Carcinoscorpiu rotundicauda)found in Asia ’s coastal Ethel Waters — tend to exist in the region where river gather the sea .
Horseshoe crabs have been around for 300 million years.
The crabs have a tough exoskeleton , 10 peg to take the air across the sea flooring and one pair of leg know as the chelicerae , to move food into their mouths . Their blood stop a atomic number 29 - based protein and turns blue when expose to oxygen . The crabmeat bloodline is used inmedical researchas part of the growing of vaccine .
Goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni)
The goblin shark is a rare and somewhat sinister depend mintage of cryptical - ocean dwelling fish . Found in the Pacific , Atlantic and Indian Oceans , this ancient mintage first come to existence 125 million geezerhood ago . The goblin shark has a twain of unique adaptations that make it a deadly predator , such as a long flat rostrum which is filled with electroreceptors , enable it to sense the electric arena of its prey . It also sport a jaw filled with teeth attach to ligament ; those teeth can extend out of its mouth to grab prey when it bites .
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The goblin shark has a flabby body covered by a pink coloured skin and can uprise up to 13 feet ( 4 m ) tenacious and weigh up to 460 pound ( 210 kilogram ) . Its flipper are little , and it moves more lento than other shark mintage .
Duck-billed platypus’ first appeared during the Cretaceous period, alongside the dinosaurs.
Duck-billed platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)
Theduck - billed platypusis an aquatically adapted mammal that first appeared more than 110 million year ago during theCretaceous period(145 to 66 million class ago ) . A 2008 study bring out inNaturefound that the platypus genetical code consisted of a mix of mammal , bird , and reptile .
Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi)
The Amami coney is a dark - furred species and the last living remnant of primitive hare mintage thatdied out on the Asian mainlandduring thePleistocene epoch(2.6 million to 11,700 year ago ) . Now only get living on two small islands off the coast of Japan , it is anendangered specieswith only 5,000 remaining . harp in timberland and burrows , the Amami rabbit is small and classifiable looking with short spike and longsighted pincer .
Nautilus (Nautilus pompilius)
Nautiluses arecephalopods , or marine mollusc , and one of the Earth ’s older " living dodo " species . These whorled - shelled creatures have just changed since they first appeared over 500 million years ago during the earlyPaleozoic era(541 to 252 million years ago ) . Found in the Western Pacific Ocean and Indian Oceans , the nautilus dwell in a large chamber of its heavy shell and uses jet propulsion to swim and bung in the ocean .
Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis)
TheKomodo dragonis an ancient vicious reptilian that has exist for millions of year . It exist on Indonesia ’s Lesser Sunda chemical group of islands , include the island of Komodo . scientist hear that its exchangeable - lookingancestors come along in Australiaaround 100 million class ago . The earth ’s large lounge lizard can grow to be 10 foot ( 3 m ) long and can weigh up to 330 pounds ( 150 kg ) . Thisdominant vulture can eatup to 80 % of its body weight in a unmarried provender .
Purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis)
The regal frog , also call the Sus scrofa - nose frog , is a rarified amphibious species belonging to the crime syndicate Nasikabatrachidae . Itevolved independently for 100 million year . Scientists find the species in the Western Ghats of India in 2003 . spend much of its life underground , the imperial toad emerges in short to spawn . The purple frog has a bloated body , curt legs and a small head .
Laotian rock rat (Laonastes aenigmamus)
First discovered in2005 in Laos , the Laotian John Rock rat is the last outlive member of the ancient fossil mob Diatomyidae , deal to have become extinct 11 million years ago . Nicknamed the " rat - squirrel , " the ancient species has blue hair’s-breadth and resemble a dirty dog , but with the fluffy tail of a squirrel .
Cockroach (Order Blattodea)
Cockroachesbelong to one of the oldest insect edict , Blattodea , which is made up of cockroaches and termites . Fossil records for early cockroaches date back more than 300 million eld ago to theUpper Carboniferous period . There are just about 4,000 roach species discover worldwide , and they look similar to their fossil vis-a-vis .
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Aardvark (Orycteropus afer)
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Amami rabbits retain the primitive features seen in species that lived hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Theaardvarkis a nocturnal and solitary mammal native to Africa which first appear more than 50 million years ago , according to fossil records . The last remaining member of the ancient ordination of Tublidentata , the specieshasn’t acquire much in that fourth dimension , making it a living fossil . Aardvark translates to " ground pig " in Afrikaans as its physical structure resemble a hog , although the species is most close related to to the elephant .
The Ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba)
Outliving the dinosaur and live theHiroshima atomic bomb , the Ginkgo tree , also have it off as the maidenhair Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , is an incredibly resilient — and stinking — tree diagram species . Fossil records of Ginkgo leavesshow that it has barely changed for more than 200 million years . This living fossil is one of the oldest tree diagram species in the world and is the last survive specie from a group of trees that existed before the dinosaurs roamed Earth .
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Nautiluses are Earth’s oldest “living fossils” dating back hundreds of millions of years.
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Komodo dragons are the world’s largest lizards, growing up to 10 feet long.
Purple frogs, also known as pig-nose frogs, were discovered in 2003, having evolved independently for 100 million years.
A cockroach in west Australia.
Aardvarks have barely evolved in the last 50 million years.
Ginkgo trees have barely changed in 200 million years.
