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Coelacanth — printable fact sheet
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Coelacanth
Latimeria chalumnae
The coelacanth is a rare, deep-sea fish known as a 'living fossil' due to its ancient lineage dating back over 400 million years. Thought to have been extinct until its dramatic rediscovery in 1938 off the coast of South Africa, the coelacanth possesses distinctive lobed pectora…
Did you know?
- Coelacanths give birth to live young after an unusually long gestation period of up to 3 years.
- Coelacanths have a hinged skull allowing them to widen their mouth for large prey, and their lobed fins are considered evolutionary precursors to terrestrial limbs. They possess a unique rostral organ in their snout used for electroreception.
What I learned
Draw the coelacanth
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