Fish Once Thought Extinct For 70 Million Years Photographed
- Editor OGN Daily
- 14 hours ago
- 2 min read
A species of coelacanth, a fish that dates back to before the dinosaurs, has been photographed in Indonesia for the first time.
The Indonesian coelacanth (Latimeria menadoensis), once considered extinct for 70 million years, was photographed in the Maluku Archipelago, Indonesia, and marks the first time the coelacanth species has been caught on camera in Indonesian waters. Alexis Chappuis, a marine biologist with UNSEEN Expeditions, is credited with the sighting, per Swiss luxury watchmaking company Blancpain, which helped fund the expedition.
"The coelacanth, often mistakenly called a 'living fossil' or 'dinosaur fish' had been known from fossils dated back to more than 400 million years – way before dinosaurs – and was thought to be extinct until 1938, when a specimen was discovered in a fishing net off the coast of South Africa. This marked one of the biggest natural history discoveries of the 20th century," Blancpain's release read.
Little was heard from coelacanths after the 1938 find until 2013, when Laurent Ballesta documented wild coelacanths in Sodwana Bay, off the east coast of South Africa. This reportedly marked the first time a coelacanth was photographed in its natural habitat.
Coelacanths are highly sensitive to their environment, so the exact location of Chappuis' discovery will remain confidential until further environmental protections are in place.