Coelacanth
(SEE la kanth)
Scientific Name: Latimeria chalumnae
Description: Lobe-finned Fish
Specimen location: Comoros Islands, Mozambique
Coelacanths were known as fossils for nearly 100 years before a living specimen, like this cast, was first discovered in 1938. Unlike most bony fish, coelacanths are lobe-finned fishes, having fins with a thicker, ßeshy base compared to other fishes. Scientists believe that some lobe-finned fishes were ancestors to all land-dwelling animals, including humans.
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Scientists believed the coelacanth, an ancient fish dating back at least 400 million years, was long-extinct until a living specimen was discovered off the coast of Madagascar in 1938.
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