Mary Bates, PhD

View Original

New Creature Feature: The Coelacanth

Pascalou petit, via Wikimedia Commons. Distributed under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license.The coelacanth (pronounced SEEL-uh-kanth) is an enormous, bottom-dwelling fish that is unlike other living fishes in a number of ways. They belong to an ancient lineage that has been around for more than 360 million years. Coelacanths can reach more than six feet long and weigh about 200 pounds, and they’re covered in thick, scaly armor. It’s estimated they can live up to 60 years or more.Read about what makes them so unique here: The Creature Feature: 10 Fun Facts About the Coelacanth.