Coelacanth, an extremely rare species of fish, which was once thought to have gone extinct with the dinosaurs, has been discovered alive in the Indian Ocean.
- The rare species was discovered on the coasts off South Africa, Tanzania, and the Comoros Islands. This species lives in undersea canyons at depths between 100 and 500 metres.
- The Coelacanth, scientifically called Latimeria chalumnae, is considered to be among the early steps of the fish’s evolution to terrestrial four-legged animals. It’s origin can be traced back to 420 million years.
- As per the report published in the South African Journal of Science, as of May 2020, as many as 334 coelacanth captures had been documented, with a recent sighting in Madagascar in March 2019.
(Source: Indian Express)
