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Learn about the coelacanth, a living fossil fish with unique features and two known species. Discover its anatomy, diversity, evolution, ecology and conservation status. What are coelacanths? Coelacanths are a curious group of fish, represented by only two extant species: the African coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) and the Indonesian coelacanth (Latimeria menadoensis). These large, lobe-finned fish live in and around deep-water caves off the coasts of southeastern Africa and Indonesia. Around two meters in length, the coelacanth looks like no other fish alive. In addition to its fleshy limb-like fins with their skeletal supporting structures, it has a ... The name coelacanth originates from the Permian genus Coelacanthus, it was the first scientifically named coelacanth. Many scientists believe that these animals have unique characteristics that represent an early step in the evolution of the fishes to the terrestrial ecosystem as four-legged animals like amphibians. Coelacanth Habitat Coelacanths were thought to have been extinct for 70 million years until one was found alive in 1938. What on Earth? The unexpected capture of a living coelacanth in the 1930s was 'the most sensational natural history discovery' of the century.
