Coelacanth

A 'living fossil' fish thought extinct for 66 million years until found alive in 1938/Deep Sea & Ocean Life

The coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) is a deep-sea fish that was believed to have gone extinct with the dinosaurs 66 million years ago, until a living specimen was caught off South Africa in 1938. Often called a 'living fossil,' coelacanths have remained virtually unchanged for over 400 million years. They are one of the closest living fish relatives of tetrapods (four-limbed vertebrates, including humans). Their paired lobed fins move in an alternating pattern similar to the limbs of a walking animal. A second species (Latimeria menadoensis) was discovered in Indonesia in 1997.