The phrase "ancient relative" refers to a person or living being who lived a very long time ago and is somehow connected to us through family or ancestry. Full definition
The site contains abundant fossils, diverse assemblages of Triassic animals including relatives of crocodylians, giant - headed amphibians and ancient relatives of modern mammals called cynodonts. (sciencenews.org)
In contrast, the first demonstrably modern bandicoots appeared less than 5 million years ago, while their most ancient relatives seemingly inhabited rainforests some 20 million years ago. (sciencedaily.com)
Dinosaurs arrived hot on the tails of their more ancient relatives, reptiles called dinosauromorphs, a new study shows. (sciencenews.org)