What is Coelacanth?

summary

fish thought extinct since the Cretaceous period but found in 1938 off the coast of Africa

overview

Coelacanths (/ˈsiːləkænθ/ (Listen) SEE-lə-kanth), two species in the genus Latimeria It constitutes a currently rare fish order, which includes several species: the West Indian Ocean coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) found near the Comoro Islands to the east, off the coast of Africa, and the Indonesian coelacanth (Latimeria menadoensis). They follow the earliest known lineage of Sarcopterygii (lobe fish and tetrapods), meaning they are more closely related to goldfish, reptiles, and mammals than to the common ray-finned fish. They are found along the Indian Ocean and the coasts of Indonesia. Since there are only two species of coelacanth and both are threatened, it is ranked the most endangered animal in the world. The western Indian Ocean coelacanth is a critically endangered species.
Coelacanths, a group of lobed finned fish related to Aquarium fish and lungfish, and some extinct Devonian fish such as osteolepiformas, porolepiformas, rhizodonts, and Panderichthys belong to the subclass. Coelacanths were thought to have gone extinct in the Late Cretaceous, about 66 million years ago, but were rediscovered off the coast of South Africa in 1938.
The coelacanth was long thought of as a "living fossil" because scientists thought it was the only member of a taxon known from fossils alone, no close relationships were alive, and it evolved in its present form roughly 400 million years ago. However, some recent studies have shown that coelacanth body shapes are much more diverse than previously thought. Conchial fish class General fins subclimber General name of coelacanth eye fish. English name for coelacanth. It appeared about 400 million years ago and began to decline 100 million years ago and was thought to have disappeared about ten million years ago. However, in 1938, Latimeria Carmona (living body length 1.4 m, weight 58 kg), a coelacanth species living off the southeastern coast of South Africa, was captured. After the Second World War, as a result of exploration efforts, the second Malania · Anjuana was captured in 1952. The catch report continues after that, but both are caught around the Comoros at a depth of 70 to 600 m. Some body length is 1.6 m and weighs 80 kg, and the body is somewhat compressed. The fin is characterized by having a stem and the spinal tube is tubular. On the other hand, terrestrial quadrupeds are said to be close to their ancestors, although there are many primitive points in form. There are many fossils, but the genus and divisions differ from existing species.
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