Zombie taxon

Jurassic ammonite internal mold redeposited (and bored) in a Cretaceous sediment, thus a zombie taxon or remanié; Faringdon Sponge Gravel, England.

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" or remanié.

See also

• Convergent evolution
• Dead Clade Walking
• Extinction
• Elvis taxon
• Lazarus taxon
• Living fossil

Further reading

• Archibald, J. David. (1996). Dinosaur Extinction and the End of An Era. Columbia University Press, 672-684. ISBN 0-231-07625-8, who defined the terms zombie effect and zombie taxon/taxa.
• Weishampel, David B. et al. (2004). The Dinosauria. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.
• Abigail Lane et al. "Estimating paleodiversities: a test of the taxic and phylogenetic methods".

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; Janis, Christine M.; Sepkoski, Jr., J. John (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. doi:10.1016/s0262-4079(07)60736-2. 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.