Coelacanths

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from the novelty of being such rare fish, have very great zoological importance. First, they are "living fossils"-a life form that has been preserved almost unchanged for many millions of years. As such, they offer the scientist a view of the biology of an earlier stage in the history of life. Second, the group of fishes to which the coelacanth belongs occupies an extremely important place in the vertebrate life. They include the ancestors of all land forms, including man himself.
The earliest fossil almost certainly lived in freshwater, but later they entered the oceans. They probably live in quiet deep waters, coming nearer to the surface at night. are active carnivores; they have many sharp teeth, and they fight fiercely when hooked. have several characteristic features, including a hollow spine in the first dorsal fin (coelacanth is Greek for hollow spined.) They have muscular, limblike fins on the underside of their body. They apparently use these fins as a ...

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