Ques. 1AIPMT 2003
Which one of the following is categorised under living fossils ?
- Cycas
- Metasequoia
- Pinus
- Selaginella
Answer
(1) Cycas
Solution
A living fossil is a present-day organism that has remained almost unchanged since a very ancient period and is otherwise known mainly from fossils.
⇒ Cycads (order Cycadales) arose in the Mesozoic era and flourished with the dinosaurs; the living genus Cycas still shows the primitive features of its fossil relatives (motile sperms, unbranched stem with a crown of pinnate leaves, coralloid roots).
∴ Cycas is categorised as a living fossil.
Answer: (1)