Living Fossils
Clues to the Past
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
You haven’t changed a bit!
Living fossils, or modern-day animals that very closely resemble their ancient relatives. Meet the coelacanth, horseshoe crab, dragonfly, tuatara, nautilus, and Hula painted frog. All are living fossils. Why have they changed so little over time, while other animals evolved or went extinct? Using contrasting "then" and "now" illustrations, veteran nonfiction writer Caroline Arnold alternates between a prehistoric creature in its native environment and its contemporary living-fossil counterpart. An amazing way to experience the ancient past!
Back matter includes a time line, additional information about the six living fossils, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Dinosaur buffs are a natural audience for this informative overview of six living species that closely resemble their distant ancestors. Plant's (the Ancient Animals series) naturalistic acrylic paintings shift between "then" and "now" as Arnold (Too Hot? Too Cold?) compares the lives of modern-day animals and their prehistoric forebears. Bulleted sidebars present reasons why certain animals have persisted; horseshoe crabs, which have existed for hundreds of millions of years, have hard shells that protect them from predators, can adapt to ocean temperatures and saline levels, and require little food. As readers explore the characteristics that have led to these animals' resilience, it may raise questions about how other creatures including, perhaps, humans will survive the test of time. Ages 7 10.
