Scientists Capture First Ever Recording of a Live Coelacanth in Indonesia!
Coelacanth: the living fossil!
Post Author - Ellis Nolan
A living fossil, the Coelacanth is one of the most elusive and fascinating known sea creatures. Scientists have long known of two main species of Coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae, native to the West Indian Ocean, and Latimeria menadoensis, native to Indonesia. While the Western Indian Coelacanth has been photographed, its Indonesian counterpart was recently photographed for the first time.
The Coelacanth was first discovered in the 1800s, as fossils dating from the Devonian Period. They were originally thought to have gone extinct during the Cretaceous until a living specimen was identified by Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, the fish’s latin namesake, in 1938. This earned them the nickname of “living fossils.” They have long, slender bodies and multiple sets of fins; upon more recent research scientists have determined they are most closely related to lungfish. Upon seeing the Coelacanth for the first time, Courtenay-Latimer called it “the most beautiful fish [she had] ever seen.” Its fins shine a magnificent silver-blue.
Due to their long gestation periods and late age of reproducing capability, Coelacanths are particularly susceptible to environmental changes due to climate change and thus are a high priority for conservationists. The researchers in this particular study believed their research site to be the ideal habitat for Coelacanths, and that capturing one on film could highlight it as a place for conservation efforts to be spent. Diving over 150 meters, they were unable to find a Coelacanth specimen on their first day of search. On their second day, their luck turned around: as both divers were resurfacing, they spotted an approximately 1 meter long Coelacanth hovering above a rock formation.
The researchers suspect that it’s not just one Coelacanth living in the area, as the environment was bustling with activity from other fish. They hope this will create emphasis on the area as a site for preservation of this majestic creature, particularly since underwater reefs are a quickly disappearing environment.
Interested in learning more about the Coelacanth? Check out our Sea and Sand collection here!
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