The West Indian Ocean coelacanth is a species of lobe-finned fish in the ancient group Actinistia, more closely related to lungfish and land vertebrates than to ray-finned fish. It has lobed fins, a three-lobed tail with a tuft of fin rays at its tip, and a rostral organ used for electroreception. It lives in deep waters off South Africa and the Comoro Islands and was presumed extinct since the Late Cretaceous until a living specimen was caught in 1938, making it one of the most famous living fossils. It is now classified as critically endangered, threatened mainly by accidental capture in deep-sea fishing.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Living or Extinct Scientific Name Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source West Indian Ocean coelacanth (Wikidata)
In Biome
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Latimeria chalumnae
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Comoros, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Madagascar, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Mozambique, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: South Africa, found in there.
Sources
1. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Latimeria chalumnae
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyPrimary Diet, Latimeria chalumnae
Primary Diet carnivore carnivore
In Biome: Open Ocean, Habitat Regions, biome: pelagic
pelagic pelagic
View the Source 2. GBIF Species API
3. West Indian Ocean coelacanth (Wikidata)
Wikidata- Wikidata Q668921 (P225 taxon name)
- Wikidata P141 (IUCN conservation status) claim, entity QID Q668921
Statements section, conservation status (P141)
IUCN Red List conservation status (Wikidata property P141): critically endangered.
- Child Taxon Of: Sarcopterygii, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
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