zombie taxon
English
editEtymology
editReferring to the fossil having been mobile, or "walking", long after the death of the original organism.
Noun
editzombie taxon (plural zombie taxa)
- (paleontology) A taxon that falsely appears to persist until, or reappear at, a time in the fossil record later than the taxon's actual point of extinction, due to fossils of organisms belonging to the taxon having been eroded from their original strata and redeposited in the source sediments for younger strata.