Creature Feature: The Coelacanth

Image: National Geographic

When it comes to prehistoric fish, few are as cool looking as the ever elusive coelacanth (SEE-la-CANTH). Thought to have been extinct for millenia, this fish was rediscovered in 1938 and is a close relative of the lungfishes. They bare several prehistoric similarities, including a rostral organ that allows their jaws to unhinge and fling far forward to catch prey.

They generally live in depths around 500-800 feet making them hard to study, but have been known to surface around the 50 foot range from time to time. Coelacanths are passive drift feeders, meaning they cruise along sandy bottoms and wait for cephalopods and small fishes to swim by. They can grow up to 5 and half feet and weigh over 160 pounds!

Image: Ocean.SI