Zombie taxon

In paleontology, a zombie taxon[1] (plural zombie taxa) or the zombie effect refers to a fossil such as a dinosaur tooth that was washed out of sediments and re-deposited in rocks and/or sediments millions of years younger.[2][3] This basic mistake in the interpretation of the age of the fossil leads to its title.[4] The discovered fossil was at some point mobile (or "walking") while the original animal or plant had long been dead. When this occurs the fossil is described as a "reworked fossil".

See also

Further reading

References

  1. ^ Lane, Abigail; Christine M. Janis and J. John Sepkoski, Jr. (January 2005). "Estimating paleodiversities: a test of the taxic and phylogenetic methods". Paleobiology 31 (1): 21–34. doi:10.1666/0094-8373(2005)031<0021:EPATOT>2.0.CO;2. http://paleobiol.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/full/31/1/21?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&author1=LANE&andorexacttitle=or&field_name=title&field_value=Estimating+paleodiversities%3A+a+test+of+the+taxic+and+phylogenetic+methods&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&volume=31&firstpage=21&resourcetype=HWCIT. 
  2. ^ Archibald, J. David (1996). Dinosaur Extinction and the End of An Era. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231076258.  Chapter link. Retrieved on 2008-07-17.
  3. ^ Archibald, David (2007-03-24). "Zombie Origins". New Scientist 2596: 27. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19325961.300-zombie-origins.html. Retrieved 2008-07-17 
  4. ^ Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; Osmólska, Halszka (2004). The Dinosauria. University of California Press. p. 679. ISBN 0520242092. http://books.google.com/?id=k44DMUXBqM0C&pg=PA679&lpg=PA679&dq=%22Zombie+taxa%22. Retrieved 2008-07-17.