Coelacanth
The coelacanths are fish belonging to the order Actinistia that includes two extant species in the genus Latimeria: the West Indian Ocean coelacanth, primarily found near the Comoro Islands off the east coast of Africa, and the Indonesian coelacanth. The name "coelacanth" originates from the Permian genus Coelacanthus, which was the first scientifically named coelacanth. Coelacanths follow the oldest-known living lineage of Sarcopterygii, which means they are more closely related to lungfish and tetrapods than to ray-finned fish. They are found along the coastline of Indonesia and in the Indian Ocean. The West Indian Ocean coelacanth is a critically endangered species. The oldest known coelacanth fossils are over 410 million years old. Coelacanths were thought to have become extinct in the Late Cretaceous, around 66 million years ago, but were discovered living off the coast of South Africa in 1938.
