6 lesser-known facts about Coelacanths

A fish that was believed to be in the ‘Not anymore’ list , proved everyone wrong and made a comeback a few days before Christmas in 1938. On a cold December mission when Captain Goosen and his crew caught a ‘not-so-familiar’ fish in a shark gill net, they had no idea of the importance of their find. But which makes it even more unbelievable that they thought the fish was not important enough to alert the local museum in the small South African town of East London. Later on it was found that they are the sole remaining representatives of a once widespread family of lobe-finned fishes , more than 120 species are known from the fossil record. Here are six lesser known facts that help Coelacanths to stand out amidst the fish kingdom even after years.

Coelacanths are often called ‘living fossils’ because their existence is nearly 360 million years old. Thought to have gone extinct with the dinosaurs 66 million years ago, their unexpected comeback is worth knowing. Latimeria Chalumnae, a type of coelacanth, was found in 1938 off the coast of South Africa which stunned scientists worldwide. These ancient fish give us a rare window into prehistoric life, surviving in deep ocean caves far from human eyes, quietly drifting through time as living proof of Earth’s distant past.

Unlike most fish, coelacanths do not have a traditional backbone. Instead, they possess a notocord-a hollow, oil-filled tube that runs the length of their body, providing structural support. This primitive feature, believed to retain from early vertebrates, highlights their ancient lineage and differs from the bony vertebral columns found in most modern fish.

Near their heads, coelacanths possess a special jelly-filled organ called the rostral organ.To naked human eyes, it may look unremarkable, but for the coelacanth, it acts like a delicate antenna tuned to the invisible language of electricity.In the lightless depths, where it is hard to explain anything through vision, this sense becomes its guide-a way to find out hidden prey and navigate complex rocky caves.

These fish have limb-like fins supported by bones, which they move in a way that mimics the walking of land animals. Their paired pectoral and pelvic fins move alternately, creating resemblance to the walking motion of four-legged creatures. This unique swimming style is hinted to be the ancestors of tetrapods (four-legged, land-living animals), but later on it was found that lungfish are actually more closely related to tetrapods. The divergence of coelacanths, lungfish, and tetrapods is believed to have taken place about 390 million years ago.

Not only through structure or behavior,Coelacanths differentiate themselves in many other ways as well. Unlike most fish that lay eggs, coelacanths give birth to live offspring. Their gestation period (the time from the moment an embryo is conceived until its birth) can last up to three years, an exceptionally long time in the fish world. This slow reproductive cycle, combined with a low number of offspring, makes their populations more vulnerable and emphasizes the need for conservation.

Coelacanths have thick, armored scales coated with toxic mucus, making them unappealing to predators and humans alike. Their flesh is oily and unpleasant to taste, which probably contributes to their few natural predators. It’s nature’s way of adding an extra layer of defense to these ancient fish.