coelacanth

Coelacanth (meaning "thorn hollow", from the Greek word coelia, "κοιλιά" (hollow) and acanthos, "άκανθος" (thorn), referring to the spines fins hollow) IPA: [si ː lə ˌ kænθ] is the name of the order (nation) fish is comprised of an evolutionary branch of the oldest living jawed fish. Coelacanth is estimated to have gone extinct since the end of the Cretaceous period 65 million years ago, until a specimen was found in eastern South Africa, in river waters Chalumna 1938.
 

Since the coelacanth has been found in the Comoros, the waters of the island of Manado Tua in Sulawesi, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar and marine parks St. Lucia in South Africa. In Indonesia, particularly around Manado, North Sulawesi, this species by local people called coelacanths. Coelacanth consists of approximately 120 known species based on fossil discoveries.

living fossils

Until now, there have been two species living Coelacanth found the Comoros coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae and Sulawesi Coelacanth (Manado), Latimeria menadoensis.Until 1938, the fish closely related to lung fish is considered to have been extinct since the end of the Cretaceous Period, about 65 million years ago. Until when a living coelacanth was caught by shark nets in advance Chalumna River estuary, South Africa in December of that year. Trawler captain who are interested in seeing the odd fish, send it to the museum in the city of East London, which was then headed by Ms.. Marjorie Courtney-Latimer. A iktiologis (fish expert) local, Dr. J.L.B. Smith then decrypt the fish and his article published in the journal Nature in 1939. He gave the name Latimeria chalumnae to new types of fish, to commemorate the museum curator and the location of the discovery of the fish.

, In the presence of Ms.. Courtenay-Latimer, curator of the East London museum.]] Searching for locations where ancient fish that lived during the next dozen years and then get water Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean west as habitat, where several hundred people are estimated to live at ocean depths of over 150 m. Outside the islands, until the 1990s a few individuals also caught in the waters of Mozambique, Madagascar, and South Africa. However, it is still considered part of the population or less the same.
In 1998, sixty years after the discovery of a living fossil coelacanth Comoros, sea king fish caught in fishing nets in the waters of the island of Manado Tua, North Sulawesi. This fish has been long known by local fishermen, but there has not been known to exist by the scientific world. Coelacanths Comoros coelacanth physically similar, with the difference in color. The king of the sea is brown, while the Comoros coelacanth blue steel.

Coelacanths are then sent to an American researcher who lives in Manado, Mark Erdmann, along with two colleagues, RL Caldwell and Moh. Kasim Moosa from LIPI. This discovery was then published in scientific journals Nature.Maka now people know that there is a second coelacanth population, a separate cross the Indian Ocean and the islands in western Indonesia so far approximately 10,000 km. Later, based on analysis of mitochondrial DNA and isolation of populations, some Indonesian and French researchers propose coelacanths Latimeria menadoensis as a new species.

Two years later the group also found that living coelacanth in waters of Marine Protected Areas (Marine Protected Areas) St. Lucia in South Africa. People then realized that the possibility is still there that coelacanth populations elsewhere in the world, including in other parts of the archipelago, given that these fish live isolated in the depths of the ocean, especially around volcanic islands. Until now coelacanth new taxonomic status is still debated.In May 2007, an Indonesian fisherman caught a coelacanth off the coast of North Sulawesi province. This fish has a size of 131 centimeters long with a weight of 51 kg when captured.

 
Another note

Coelacanth characterized ancient fish, like a fan-shaped tail, large eyes, and scales that look is not perfect (like a rock). In Bunaken've discovered a living coelacanth swim freely. Its size is approximately 2/3 the adult body and her dark purple.