Coelacanth

ID points

• Deep blue body covered in irregular white blotches
• Pectoral and pelvic fins set on fleshy stalks
• Tail fin in three lobes, with a small extra lobe in the middle

Basics

Family

Latimeriidae

Length

120–200 cm

Depth

150-700 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs · Deep sea

Distribution

Deep rocky reefs of the western Indian Ocean and Indonesia

Habitat

Deep rocky reefs and caves

Diet

Fish, cephalopods

Easily confused with

Coral HindOrange-red ground covered with small blue dots edged in darkGrouperLarge head and mouth, with the lower jaw slightly protrudingLeopard GrouperBrown ground densely covered with small red-brown spots

Fun fact

The coelacanth was thought to have gone extinct 66 million years ago, that is 6600 x 10^4 years, so its rediscovery in 1938 stunned the scientific world. Its limb-like fins are a clue to how fish first came ashore.