Oct 30, 2022
Updated: Nov 7, 2022
Once thought extinct, this denizen of the deep has been here since the time of the dinosaurs.
For years, scientists thought it died out with the dinosaurs. The only known coelacanths were fossils - the oldest known of which are over 410 million years old. Then in 1938, a South African museum curator found a dead one in a fisherman’s catch. Live specimens were later caught, proving that this curious fish was never actually extinct.
Living deep in the waters around Africa’s Comoro Islands and Indonesia’s Sulawesi, this big, bottom-dweller is unlike any other living fish. They can grow to more than 2m (6.6 ft) and weigh around 90kg (200 lbs).
Weird True Fact 1: it has eight fins, including two pairs which stick out from the body like legs. It doesn’t use them for walking though. They’re more like the stabilisers you get on kids’ bikes.
WTF 2: instead of a bony backbone, coelacanths have a hollow, oil-filled tube called a notochord.
WTF 3: they are fatheads. The brain occupies just 1.5 percent of its braincase and the rest is filled with fat.
It also has thick scales, a unique jaw joint, a huge gape, and an organ in the snout for electroreception. By detecting electrostatic fields, they can use this intel to avoid obstacles and detect prey.
Today's Magazine articles
Funny Quotes About Life: 20 funny, inspirational quotes about life to put a smile on your face.