the.com/coelacanth
the fish that faked its own death for 65 million years.
means A large, ancient lobe-finned fish once thought extinct since the age of dinosaurs, until a living specimen was hauled up off South Africa in 1938.
from From Greek 'koilos' (hollow) and 'akantha' (spine), naming the hollow spines in its fins. The genus was described from fossils in the 19th century, so the name predates anyone knowing it still swam — which is why its 20th-century rediscovery felt like meeting a ghost.
- living fossil
- Thought extinct since dinosaurs, found alive in 1938.
- weird limbs
- Fins move like four walking legs underwater.
- deep dweller
- Lurks in volcanic caves 700 feet down.
- long pregnancy
- Gestates young for around five years.
- bad eating
- Oily, foul flesh nobody wants to eat.
for instance
latimeria chalumnae — african coelacanth species discovered off south africa in 1938, thought extinct for 66 million years
latimeria menadoensis — indonesian coelacanth species found near sulawesi in 1997, lives at 600-700 meters depth