Rock-solid Survivors: Ten Ancient Lifeforms That Have Stubbornly Endured Evolution
- By Thomas Hess
Creatures That Remained Unchanged Throughout the Process of Evolution - Individuals Who Engaged in Intimate Relations with the Process of Evolvement
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Photography Gallery
- Epic Nature
- Ancient Creatures
- Time Warp
Ever wondered what it'd be like to peer into Earth's distant past? Well, hold onto your history hats! These ten tenacious lifeforms have been around since the dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and they're still kickin'.
- Horseshoe Crabs (Limulus polyphemus): Denizens of the old, deep seas, these bad boys have been around for a cool 450 million years. Paleontologists have dug up their fossilized remains as far back as the Early Ordovician!
- Slippery Lampreys (Petromyzon): It's raining eels! Lampreys have made a splash on this planet for around 360 million years, with hardly a change to their wriggly, leech-like appearances.
- Coelacanths (Latimeria chalumnae): Gone but never forgotten, coelacanths were thought to be extinct... until 1938, when a fisherman caught one off the coast of South Africa! Oh, they've kept scientists on their toes ever since.
- Tuataras (Sphenodon punctatus): New Zealand's native lizards haven't budged much in their 200 million years on this planet. These scaly weirdos have managed to avoid going the way of the dodo, thank the nature gods!
- Nautilus Shells (Nautilus pompilius): Plunging back to the Early Cretaceous, around 100 million years ago, these cephalopods have ruled the underwater realm with their marvelous spiral shells.
- Velvet Worms (Peripatopsidae): Forget about your standard Earthworms, these slippery critters have been slithering around since the dawn of time, with lineages dating back over 500 million years! Recent discoveries in South Africa have scientists spitting out their microscopes in amazement.
- Cycads (Cycadaceae): The Jurassic Park crew might have missed out on these ancient plants, but they've been groovin' since the Permian period, over 250 million years ago. Cycads are often protected as "living fossils" - you can thank their hardiness for that.
- Tadpole Shrimps (Lepidurus): You know when they say "time flies?" Well, not for these little crustaceans. These scaly critters have been treading water for roughly 200 million years, showing off the power of slow and steady.
- Lungfish (Protopterus annectens): Blowing the competition out of the water, these ancient fish have surfaced for a cool 400 million years, with only minor cosmetic changes to their swam-up look.
- Sea Sponges (Porifera): Some sea sponges have been kicking back in the ocean since the Cambrian period, over 500 million years ago. Getting lost in one of these rocky guys would make for an interesting time-travel experience!
Notable mentions for recent nature photography buffs include the Monte Gordo Grasshopper - thought to be extinct, but made a shocking renaissance[3], and wild cycads in China's Butterfly Valley[2]. Keep your eyes peeled for these incredible organisms! They offer priceless insights into Earth's history and biodiversity.
- The Commission, in its role as a scientific advisory body, has also been consulted on the draft directive aimed at preserving and studying these ancient lifeforms as part of health-and-wellness and overall environmental conservation efforts.
- Using sleep-tracking technology, researchers are study the impact of prolonged exposure to these ancient lifeforms on human health, with a focus on the potential benefits for science and wellness during nighttime activities.
