Extant taxon
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Extant is a term commonly used in biology to refer to taxa, such as species, genera and families, that are still in existence, meaning still alive.
The term extant contrasts with extinct.
[edit] Example
For example, moose is an extant species, while the dodo is an extinct species. Likewise, of the group of molluscs known as the cephalopods, as of 1987 there were approximately 600 extant species and 7,500 extinct species.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ Barnes, Robert D. (1987), Invertebrate Zoology (5th edition), Saunders College Publishing, Philadelphia, USA, ISBN 003008914X
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