What is a coelacanth?

Whenever people think of prehistoric life, dinosaurs come to mind. There are many things on this earth that we have yet to find, that may very well be the descendants of a prehistoric time period. An unusual species of fish was caught at approximately 240 ft, in the mid 1930's in South Africa . The specimen brought in was approximately 5 ft. long and weighed approximately 127 lbs. This interesting species had large round scales which were bright blue in color, and a very odd pair of fins. The species was later identified as the Coelacanth (Latameria), a fish that was believed to have become extinct during the Cretaceous Period. The curator who was responsible for the investigation of the caught species was later recognized for her contribution with the use of her name. Hence the name Latimeria.

The Coelacanth have an interesting tuft at the end of its tail, and this has not been seen on any other species of fish. Their unusual fin placement resembles arms and legs, which were at one time believed to be used in a walking motion along the bottom of the ocean. It is also believed that this may give the fish enhanced mobility while swimming. An expedition was carried out to capture this species on video, which did not prove the walking ability of these fins. The species was never observed performing this type of activity. This expedition also presented questions that would not be answered, including the location of the juvenile population. The expected juvenile population was not observed resting with the adults inside the caves.

In 1998 it was thought that a new species of Coelacanth had been identified in Indonesia. The specimens that were caught were brown and gold, unlike the familiar blue species. An expedition took place to acknowledge the new population. The outcome was that a separate population had not been confirmed and is still up for debate. DNA comparisons are being made between fish caught from both areas. Also in 1999, "deep release devices" were implemented to help prevent their deaths from accidental catching. "Coelacanths have a delicate metabolism. Pulled to the surface by hook and line, they are exhausted, oxygen depleted, have built up muscle toxins, are overheated in the warmer water and in a state of slow asphyxiation". These devices will give fishermen the ability to lower accidentally caught fish, back into deep water. This is vital to the fish's survival, as a surface release requires unavailable strength from the fish to get back down on its own.

It took until 1975 to confirm that they gave live birth when an adult specimen was dissected, and fully formed babies were found inside. It is believed that the Coelacanths are not able to produce many young, therefore special care should be taken to ensure their survival.

The Coelacanths are a good example of a species that has evolved and adapted, while retaining imperative characteristics of their ancestors. It was their ability to adapt to their surroundings that kept them from becoming an extinct species a long time ago. The Coelacanths are believed to predate dinosaurs by almost 200,000,000 years. It has been said that "in terms of evolution these ancient fishes are more closely related to land animals than to fish", and there is much for us to learn about this species. Natives have been aware of this fish for some time, and in Comoro they are known as "Kombessa", and in Indonesia they are known as "Rajah Laut"(King of the Sea). Evolution is a puzzle man has always strived to put together and with the survival of ancient species as the Coelacanth, we are offered more insights to our unknown answers.