Living fossil
"Living fossil" is a term used to describe a living organism that has remained relatively unchanged for a very long time, like millions of years. It's like a time traveler who goes back in time and sees the plants and animals that lived in the ancient past, and then comes back to the present day.
Imagine a turtle that's been around for over 150 million years, like the leatherback sea turtle. It looks pretty much the same as it did back then. Or think about the coelacanth, a fish that's been around for over 360 million years. It looks like it came straight out of the prehistoric times, with its bony fins and armored scales.
These creatures are called “living fossils” because they’ve been around for so long, and they’re still here today, thriving in their environments. Scientists study these living fossils to learn more about what life on Earth was like millions of years ago. That’s pretty cool, isn’t it?
Imagine a turtle that's been around for over 150 million years, like the leatherback sea turtle. It looks pretty much the same as it did back then. Or think about the coelacanth, a fish that's been around for over 360 million years. It looks like it came straight out of the prehistoric times, with its bony fins and armored scales.
These creatures are called “living fossils” because they’ve been around for so long, and they’re still here today, thriving in their environments. Scientists study these living fossils to learn more about what life on Earth was like millions of years ago. That’s pretty cool, isn’t it?
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