About 65 thousand years have passed since a giant asteroid that hit the Earth apparently caused a sequence of events that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
It is generally thought that this is how life on Earth of that era came to an end - but the truth is that there are animals that not only did not become extinct then, but are still living among us to this day.
Researchers call such animals "living fossils" - a definition coined by Charles Darwin, the father of the theory of evolution, for animals that have no difference between their current incarnation and their ancestors whose existence can be found in fossils.
We enlisted the help of Claude to tell about some of them.
Coelacanths - this fish, with fleshy fins, inhabited the waters of the sea 400 million years ago, and disappeared from fossils 65 million years ago (again, more or less the time of the extinction of the dinosaurs) until rediscovered in 1938 off the coast of Africa.
Horseshoe crabs - these crabs, whose name doesn't leave much to be desired as to origin, walked beaches for 300 million years, long before the dinosaurs.
Modern species boast almost the same durable helmet-shaped shells, spider legs and blue blood as their ancestors.
Goblin Shark - These very unsightly sharks, with their long beak-like mouths and jaws with teeth protruding from the gums, have been hunting fish in the depths of the ocean for 125 million years.
Their pink flesh, loose bodies and terrifying teeth still haunt the dreams of fish today.
Duck - The platypus, which looks like a strange mixture of a beaver and a duck, has been swimming around Australia for 115 million years.
Nautilus - this mollusk, which lives inside shells shaped like spirals, has been swimming in the Indian and Pacific oceans for 500 million years, and is one of the world's oldest living creatures.
Komodo dragon - the most familiar member of this list, the giant lizard that lives in Australia and the surrounding islands, has hunted animals with its huge jaws for 100 million years.
Purple Frog - Humanity only discovered its existence in 2003, but this frog, which lives underground and comes out only to mate, has existed for 100 million years.
Insects - they say they will survive the apocalypse, and not for nothing - they have already survived at least one, and continue to invade every corner for 300 million years.
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