What is so special about the coelacanth?

Unique to any other living animal, the coelacanth has an intracranial joint, a hinge in its skull that allows it to open its mouth extremely wide to consume large prey. 5. Instead of a backbone, they have a notochord. Coelacanths retain an oil-filled notochord, a hollow, pressurized tube that serves as a backbone.

What is the coelacanth describe location and characteristics?

Coelacanths are elusive, deep-sea creatures, living in depths up to 2,300 feet below the surface. They can be huge, reaching 6.5 feet or more and weighing 198 pounds. Scientists estimate they can live up to 60 years or more.

What are coelacanths describe?

Latimeria chalumnae and L. menadoensis are the only two known living coelacanth species. Coelacanths are large, plump, lobe-finned fish that can grow to more than 2 m (6.6 ft) and weigh around 90 kg (200 lb). Coelacanths have eight fins – 2 dorsal fins, 2 pectoral fins, 2 pelvic fins, 1 anal fin and 1 caudal fin.

What physical trait does the coelacanth have that makes them related to amphibians?

Coelacanths have big fleshy fins and hinged jaws, two traits they share with fossils of ancestral amphibians.

What color is a coelacanth?

blue
Coelacanths are large fish, growing to average length of 6.5 feet (2 meters). They can weigh as much as 175 pounds (80 kg). In the wild, they have a deep blue color which is thought to help camouflage them from predators. The eyes of the coelacanth are extremely sensitive to light.

What characteristics of Tiktaalik are fish like?

Tiktaalik retained both fish and tetrapod characteristics. Its fish characteristics include scales, fins, and gills, and its tetrapod characteristics include a neck, ribs capable of bearing weight, a flat head, dorsally positioned eyes, a fin skeleton, and ear notches (The University of Chicago, 2006).

What characteristics of coelacanth cause it to be classified as a fish?

The coelacanth is a unique fish because it has an extra lobe in its tail, paired lobe fins that move like our arms and legs, an incompletely developed vertebral column, and an intercranial joint that allows it to lift the front part of its head to feed.

What is the most beautiful fish?

• Lionfish. The lionfish is one of the worlds most beautiful fishes, known all over the world for its unique appearance.
• Clownfish.
• Banggai Cardinalfish.
• Siamese Fighting Fishes.
• Regal Angelfish.
• Blueface Angel Fish.
• Ghost Pipefish.
• Regal Tang.

What are the top 10 rarest fish?

10 Rarest Fish in the World

• European Sea Sturgeon (Atlantic Sturgeon)
• Smalltooth Sawfish.
• Kissing Loach.
• Giant Sea Bass.
• Tequila Splitfin.
• Adriatic Sturgeon.
• Devils Hole Pupfish.
• Red Handfish.

What is the average lifespan of a coelacanth?

48 years of
The average lifespan of coelacanths is estimated to be 48 years of age. Female coleacanths reach maturity between 16 and 19 years and give birth to live young after a very lengthy gestation period of 3 years, which is the longest gestation period of any vertebrate species.

What characteristics of a Tiktaalik are tetrapod like?

What are the characteristics of a coelacanth fish?

Coelacanths: Characteristics, types, behavior and more…. The Coelacanths (Coelacanthimorpha) are lobed-fin fish (sarcopterigios) that were believed extinct. Discover today everything about this amazing species. 11 Are Coelacanths Threatened? Animalia Kingdom Phylum: Chordata Class: Sarcopterygii Subclass: Coelacanthimorpha Order: Coelacanthiformes

Are there any living coelacanths in the world?

In 1938 the scientific world was rocked by the discovery of a living coelacanth. Today, two extant (living) coelacanth species are known: the West Indian coelacanth ( Latimeria chalumnae) and the Indonesian coelacanth ( Latimeria menadoensis ).

Is the coelacanth part of the lungfish family?

Coelacanth. The coelacanth, the Indonesian coelacanth, and the lungfishes together make up a group known as the lobe-finned fishes. Their fins are attached to short limbs rather than directly to the body like in most species. These species are the closet fish relatives to the tetrapods (amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds).

What kind of locomotion does a coelacanth have?

Coelacanths have a unique form of locomotion. One striking feature of the coelacanth is its four fleshy fins, which extend away from its body like limbs and move in an alternating pattern. The movement of alternate paired fins resembles the movement of the forelegs and hindlegs of a tetrapod walking on land. 4.