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Coelacanths - School Essays

Coelacanths


are an ancient fish-like vertebrates that first appeared some 350 million years ago, about the time the first creatures emerged from sea to land. In terms of evolution, these ancient "fishes" are more closely related to land animals than to fish. Note the specimen's paired fins. They are lobe-like and actually have jointed bones, like arms and legs. The only living species of coelacanth is Latimeria chalumnae, and it is this fish with which the name "coelacanth" is most famously associated.
These creatures present a fascinating story of the ways in which our knowledge of the world is sometimes increased by chances. Until 1938 all were considered to be extinct; we thought the ...

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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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PAPER DETAILS
Added: 1/31/2006 04:37:26 AM
Category: Science & Nature
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 373
Pages: 2

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