coelacanth
Prehistoric fish survivor
A coelacanth is a large, primitive fish once thought to have been extinct for millions of years until a living specimen was discovered in 1938.
The fish has fleshy, limb-like fins and represents an ancient lineage that predates dinosaurs.
Finding a living coelacanth was among the most dramatic zoological discoveries of the twentieth century.
Swimming appendages
- scalesPlates or weighing devices
- swim-bladderFish buoyancy organ
- gillsAquatic respiratory organs
- vertebrateSpinal column animal
ossified · lungfish · bony · notochord · blue · oily · piscine
Fish that breathes air
- nautilusChambered marine mollusk
- ginkgoAncient Chinese deciduous tree
- tuataraLast rhynchocephalian species
- garLong-snouted freshwater predator
sturgeon · hagfish · bowfin · paddlefish · crocodilian · brachiopod · relict · unchanged
Of ocean depths
- oceanMassive saltwater body
- submarineUnderwater naval craft
- volcanicOf fiery mountain origin
- caveUnderground hollow in rock
Comoros · Sulawesi · Madagascar · Indonesia · South Africa · Indian Ocean · benthic · rocky
Preserved ancient organism
- DevonianGeologic period, 419-359 million years ago
- PaleozoicEarly complex-life epoch
- MesozoicAge of Reptiles
- CretaceousFinal Mesozoic period
Jurassic · Triassic · primordial · ancestral · ancient · paleontology · geological · Permian
African island republic
- SulawesiIndonesian island, distinctive shape
- specimenIndividual for examination
- ichthyologistOne who studies fish
- expeditionOrganized exploratory journey
deep-sea · research · taxonomy · breakthrough · revelation · identified · trawler · museum
At risk of extinction
conservation · vulnerable · scarce · uncommon · precious · exceptional · unique · few
fins
Swimming appendages
- scalesPlates or weighing devices
- swim-bladderFish buoyancy organ
- gillsAquatic respiratory organs
vertebrate · ossified · lungfish · bony · notochord · blue · oily · piscine
lungfish
Fish that breathes air
- nautilusChambered marine mollusk
- ginkgoAncient Chinese deciduous tree
- tuataraLast rhynchocephalian species
gar · sturgeon · hagfish · bowfin · paddlefish · crocodilian · brachiopod · relict · unchanged · survivor
deep-sea
Of ocean depths
cave · Comoros · Sulawesi · Madagascar · Indonesia · South Africa · Indian Ocean · benthic · rocky · underwater
fossil
Preserved ancient organism
- DevonianGeologic period, 419-359 million years ago
- PaleozoicEarly complex-life epoch
- MesozoicAge of Reptiles
Cretaceous · Jurassic · Triassic · primordial · ancestral · ancient · paleontology · geological · Permian · extinction
Comoros
African island republic
- SulawesiIndonesian island, distinctive shape
- specimenIndividual for examination
- ichthyologistOne who studies fish
expedition · deep-sea · research · taxonomy · breakthrough · revelation · identified · trawler · museum · scientific
endangered
At risk of extinction
CITES · conservation · vulnerable · scarce · uncommon · precious · exceptional · unique · few · population
- coelacanths
- fishcod, salmon, bass, perch, eels
- ocean lifeocean, sea, sea creatures, shark, sea life
- fish and amphibiansfish, shark, sharks, salmon, cod
- prehistoric lifedinosaur, dinosaurs, triceratops, Velociraptor, velociraptor
- deep seaabyss, seabed, ocean floor, ocean depths, seafloor
coelacanthdinosaur
Extinct Mesozoic reptile
dodo · trilobite · woolly mammoth · passenger pigeon · ammonite
coelacanthDarwin's finches
Adaptive radiation example birds
cichlids · fruit fly · Drosophila · HIV · influenza virus