Zombie taxon

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In paleontology, a zombie taxon[1][2] (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.[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. Archibald, J. David (1996). Dinosaur Extinction and the End of An Era. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-07625-8. . Retrieved on 2008-07-17.
  2. 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. 
  3. Archibald, David (2007-03-24). "Zombie Origins". New Scientist 2596: 27. Retrieved 2008-07-17 
  4. Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; Osmólska, Halszka (2004). The Dinosauria. University of California Press. p. 679. ISBN 0-520-24209-2. Retrieved 2008-07-17. 
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