A species that has survived over extended periods of
geologic time
with little or no change to their appearance and
biology. One popular
living
fossil is the
coelacanth, a funny-looking fish that was thought
to be extinct for over 80 million years until it was hooked off the
coast of
South Africa in 1938.
Other examples are the
tuatara, a lizard-like reptile from
New Zealand,
and the
Ginkgo and
Metasequoia, species of trees often found in parks and
botanical gardens.