Living Fossils

A living fossil is a group of organisms that disappears from one or more periods of the fossil record, only to appear again later.

Ecology

Connected Sites

Site Rationale Link
Alejandro de Humboldt National Park rare large shrew-like insectivore Cuban solenodon Solenodon cubanus (EN), considered a living fossil (UNEP-WCMC)
Greater Blue Mountains Wollemia
Huangshan Gingko Biloba
Kinabalu Park The mountain flora has diverse 'living fossils' such as the celery pine and the trig-oak, the evolutionary link between oaks and beeches. (AB ev)
Lagoons of New Caledonia Nautilus
Los Alerces National Park "Other distinctive fauna includes the “Monito del Monte” (Dromiciops gliroides - NT) a nocturnal marsupial which is monotypic, endemic to Patagonia and a “living fossil” which can be linked to ancient and extinct marsupials." (AB ev)
Mount Wuyi Gingko Biloba
Namib Sand Sea welwitschia
Ohrid Region Lake Ohrid is so old and isolated by surrounding hills and mountains that a unique collection of plants and animals has evolved. These include a number of relict species, or “living fossils” (including Ohrid trout (Salmo letnica))
Shark Bay Stromatolite
Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries Gingko Biloba
Three parallel rivers of Yunnan Gingko Biloba
Viñales Valley Microcycas calocoma, cork palm, "a living fossil of the Cretaceous phanerogamic flora" (AB ev)
Vjetrenica Cave "several of the species found in Vjetrenica Cave are tertiary and pre-tertiary relict species, which can be considered living fossils" (OUV)
iSimangaliso Wetland Park Coelacanth

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