coelacanth

media type="custom" key="26816596" align="right"Coelacanth
related: fish, south africa, wildlife


 * Coelacanth** = a genus of fish which has existed for more than 360 million years, but which was believed to have been extinct since the time of the dinosaurs.

It was rediscovered for science by Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer in East London, South Africa in 1938, and the first specimen was described by the South African ichthyologist, JLB Smith, of Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa.

According to Arkive: “Unlike any other living animal, coelacanths have a hinged joint in the skull, which allows the front part of the head to be lifted whilst feeding. They also have limb-like, lobed pectoral and pelvic fins and a unique tail consisting of three distinct lobes ... The scaly body is dark blue or brown in colour with white speckles, the pattern of which is unique to each individual and provides good camouflage against cave walls. A further unique feature is a receptor in the rostral organ of the head which can detect electric fields and may be used to locate prey or monitor its surroundings.’

JLB Smith told the story of the first specimen - and the dramatic hunt for a second – in his best selling book ‘Old Fourlegs.’ E-book versions of the first edition – titled ‘The search beneath the sea’ are available from the Open Library. []

In the late 1990s, Mark and Arnaz Erdmann saw a large fish in the market in Manado, Sulawesi, Indonesia. The locals knew it as raja laut – but it was new to science. It was later classified as //Latimeria menadoensis// – the Indonesian coelacanth.

JLB Smith’s and the Erdmann’s stories are told in Samantha Weinberg’s book ‘A fish caught in time: the search for the coelacanth.’ []

=**Classification**= Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sarcopterygii Order: Coelacanthiformes Family: Latimeriidae Genus: Latimeria

Two modern species have been described: //L. chalumnae (//West Indian Ocean coelacanth) //L. menadoensis// (Indonesian coelacanth)

=Anatomy= The coelacanth has body parts not found in any other species.

Nova interactive anatomy site: []

=**Translation**= Afrikaans: selakant French: Coelacanthe Indonesian: raja laut Spanish: Celecanto

=**Links**= Coelacanth: [] //Latimeria chalumnae (//West Indian Ocean coelacanth): [] //Latimeria menadoensis// (Indonesian coelacanth): []

Arkive: []

National Geographic: []

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/04/22/a-most-amazing-fish-join-our-google-hangout-about-coelacanths-on-thursday

http://www.broadinstitute.org/news/4980

JLB Smith: []

Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer: []

The coelacanth and East London: [|http://www.eastlondon.org.za/coelacanth.html#.UXONritgZBk]

East London Museum: [] []

Samantha Weinberg ‘A fish caught in time: the search for the coelacanth.’ []

Martin Hatchuel: The coelacanth: the Garden Route connection []

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2013/04/18/3739961.htm

[|Ancient New Genus Of Coelacanth Discovered]

Misc
Extinct coelacanths [|probably had a lung] to supplement breathing.

=**Videos**=

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=**Images**=

Coelacanth: a drawing by Robbie Cada

A page from the Smith family albums: coelacanth stamps from the Comoros signed by JLB Smith

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