Latimeria

E841964

Latimeria is a rare genus of living coelacanths, ancient lobe-finned fishes once thought extinct and now famous as "living fossils" that provide insight into early vertebrate evolution.

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Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf coelacanth
genus
lobe-finned fish
activityPattern nocturnal
class Sarcopterygii NERFINISHED
commonName coelacanths
conservationStatus threatened
containsTaxon Latimeria chalumnae NERFINISHED
Latimeria menadoensis NERFINISHED
describedAs living fossil
diet carnivorous
ecologicalRole predator
family Latimeriidae NERFINISHED
finType fleshy lobed fins with internal bones
fossilRecordRelation closely resembles Paleozoic coelacanths
geographicDistribution Comoros Islands region NERFINISHED
Indian Ocean NERFINISHED
Indonesian waters
Sulawesi region NERFINISHED
western Indian Ocean NERFINISHED
habitat coastal caves
deep sea
marine
jawType toothed jaws
kingdom Animalia
lifespan long-lived
locomotion slow hovering swimming
maximumLength about 2 meters
maximumMass around 80 kilograms
namedAfter Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer NERFINISHED
notableFeature cosmoid scales
electrosensory rostral organ
intracranial joint in skull
lobed paired fins
order Coelacanthiformes NERFINISHED
phylum Chordata
rediscoveredIn 1938
reproductiveMode ovoviviparous
researchUse comparative genomics of vertebrates
study of fin-to-limb transition
restingBehavior daytime cave dwelling
scientificSignificance insight into early vertebrate evolution
model for tetrapod origins
skeletonType bony endoskeleton
taxonRank genus
thoughtExtinctUntil 20th century
threat bycatch in deep-sea fisheries

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Sarcopterygii hasNotableGenus Latimeria