Many endangered animals are living fossils of the earth, and the living fossil is to find the fossil first and then find the living body, or the living body belongs to the same kind and exists at the same time as the confirmed fossil. Among the existing animals in China, there are mainly the following main species that can be called living fossils, and the author of this article makes the following introduction:
1, the history of the giant panda: the history of the giant panda as China's unique national treasure animal - the giant panda has lived on the earth for more than 8 million years, and its survival time on the earth is far earlier than that of humans. According to the latest research results, giant pandas appeared at the latest in the Late Miocene, and their immediate ancestors were the first pandas, living in hot and humid forests. In the middle of the Pleistocene, 600,000 years ago, the development of giant pandas reached the peak of their populations, which were once widely distributed in the south, central and western parts of China, and went north to the territory of today's Hebei, forming the "Giant Panda-Saber-Tooth elephant community" and its contemporaries, which were basically extinct due to strong geological and climatic turbulence. For example, saber-toothed elephants and saber-toothed tigers have become fossils, and giant pandas can survive in the harsh natural environment, mainly because they change themselves in environmental changes, so they have not disappeared from the chain of the biosphere, thus becoming one of the few living animal fossils in the world.
Saber-toothed elephant skeleton restoration diagram from the network
Sabertooth restoration diagram from the network
Giant pandas come from the web
So far, giant pandas in more than 200 countries and regions around the world are almost on the verge of extinction, and they can only be found in the deep mountains and old forests in some parts of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu in China. At present, the total number of giant pandas in the world is only less than 1,000, and the number is decreasing.
In zoology, giant pandas belong to the order Carnivorous. Pandas are classified as mammalian carnivores, but their diet is highly specialized, making them a vegetarian who lives on bamboo. Giant pandas mainly eat bamboo and also love to drink water, and most of the giant pandas' homes are located near streams and streams, where they can drink from clear springs. Giant pandas are docile in temperament, generally do not take the initiative to attack people or other animals, and the vision of giant pandas is extremely underdeveloped.
2, Chinese sturgeon: also known as sturgeon, a national first-class protected animal. It is a cartilaginous hard-scaled fish with a long fusiform body, a plough-shaped snout, a pointed snout, and a slightly upturned. The lower part of the mouth is in a horizontal row, and the front of the mouth has a short whisker. The eyes are small, and on each side of the head behind the eyes, there is a crescent-shaped water spray hole, and the whole body is covered with prismatic bone plates.
Chinese sturgeon comes from the Web
The Chinese sturgeon has a long history of more than 100 million years, and there are not many such ancient fish. From it, some traces of biological evolution can be seen, so it is called a living fossil in aquatic life, which has high scientific research value. The Chinese sturgeon is a large migratory fish, the largest of which can reach 400-500 kg. In peacetime, the Chinese sturgeon inhabits the coastal continental shelf from the west coast of Korea in the north to the southeast coast of China in the south. After living in the ocean for 9-18 years, when the gonads are close to maturity, they migrate in groups to the Yangtze River and reach the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in Yibin, Sichuan and the lower part of the Jinsha River.
3. Ratimi fish: On December 22, 1938, near the Port of East London on the east coast of Africa, near the mouth of a small river, local fishermen caught a "strange" fish. The fish was 1.5 meters long and weighed more than 58 kilograms, and it only survived for 3 hours after coming out of the water before dying. Due to the low embalming technology at that time, when the fish reached the hands of the researchers, almost all the skin remained. After research, it is believed that this fish should belong to the suborder coelacanthini of the total fin fish. In honor of the specimen keeper Ms. Latimai's "discerning acquaintance" of the specimen
Latimai fish comes from the network
And with meticulous protection, Professor Smith named the new fish latime-ria Chalumnae Smith (1939).
The discovery of the Ratimi fish immediately caused a sensation in the scientific community. Because the total finfish are divided into two groups, one is the bone scale fish, the other is the empty spiny fish, and the members of the bone scale fish at that time were thought to be related to "from water to land". Previously, people only knew the fossil representative of the total fin fish, and had never seen a living specimen, but now suddenly emerged the living representative of the empty spiny fish that was originally thought to have been extinct as early as 120 million years ago (early Cretaceous) - living fossils, how not to teach people to be excited! Scientists expect to learn more and more specifically about what it does from "fish-amphibians."
4, Yangzi crocodile: Yangzi crocodile or called shrew, scientific name alligator sinensis, is a crocodile unique to China, commonly known as pig dragon, earth dragon, is also one of the smallest crocodile species in the world. It is mainly distributed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It is both ancient and now a very rare reptile that is endangered in the world. In the Yangtze crocodile, many characteristics of earlier dinosaur reptiles can still be found. Therefore, people call the Yangtze crocodile a "living fossil". Therefore, the Yangtze crocodile is of great significance for people to study the rise and fall of ancient reptiles and to study paleogeology and the evolution of organisms. China has listed the Yangtze crocodile as a national first-class protected animal, and it is strictly forbidden to kill. In order to continue the race of this precious animal, China has also established nature reserves and artificial farms for Yangtze crocodiles in Anhui, Zhejiang and other places. In the 1970s, it was taken abroad to travel to Europe and become famous all over the world.
Yangzi crocodile from the network
5, the giant salamander: the largest of the existing tail order, in the amphibians to count its largest body, the total length of up to 1 meter to 1.5 meters, the heaviest weight can exceed 100 pounds, and the shape is somewhat similar to lizards, but in comparison more fat and flat. Giant salamanders inhabit mountain streams and live in caves with clear water, little sand content, rapid water flow, and backflow. The head of the giant salamander is flat, blunt and round, with a large mouth, underdeveloped eyes, and no eyelids. The front of the body is flattened, and gradually turns to a lateral flattening to the tail. There are obvious skin folds on both sides of the body, the limbs are short and flattened, the fingers and toes are five before and after the four, with slight webbing. The tail is rounded with fins above and below the tail. The surface of the body is smooth and covered with mucus. The back of the body is a mixture of black and brownish red, and the ventral surface is pale in color.
Giant salamanders come from the web
6, cockroach: cockroach (cockroach) is a common name for cockroach insects, also known as "cockroaches". Originating from the Devonian Period with other insects, it is a scavenger who prefers to live diurnally and nocturnally, living in caves. It can withstand the test of extreme heat and cold, and is still widely distributed. Cockroaches are one of the oldest insects on the planet and once lived in the same era as dinosaurs. According to fossil evidence, primitive cockroaches appeared on Earth during the Silurian period about 400 million years ago. The fossils of cockroaches we find, or cockroaches found in coal and amber, are not much different from those found in your cupboard. Its appearance has not changed much over the hundreds of millions of years, but its vitality and adaptability have become more and more tenacious, and it has been reproducing to this day, widely distributed in all corners of the world. It is worth mentioning that a cockroach with a decapitated head can survive for 9 days, and the cause of death after 9 days is excessive starvation. At present, although cockroaches belong to live animal fossils, they are numerous and harmful to humans and do not need protection.
Cockroaches come from the web
Of course, in addition to animals, there are some plants that also belong to the category of living fossils, which are not in our wildlife category.
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