Related Posts
Endangered Species of the Week: Mountain chicken
Species: Mountain chicken (Leptodactylus fallax)
Status: Critically Endangered (CR)
Interesting Fact: The oddly-named mountain chicken is so called because its...
Endangered Species of the Week: Goliath frog
Species: Goliath frog (Conraua goliath)
Status: Endangered (EN)
Interesting Fact: The goliath frog is the largest frog in the world,...
Endangered Species of the Week: Silky sifaka
Species: Silky sifaka (Propithecus candidus)
Status: Critically Endangered (CR)
Interesting Fact: This species is nicknamed ‘angel of the forest’ due...
Endangered Species of the Week: Axolotl
Status: Critically Endangered (CR)
Interesting Fact: The axolotl has the ability to re-grow whole limbs!
While the bizarre axolotl may...
Endangered Species of the Week: Giant otter
Species: Giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis)
Status: Endangered (EN)
Interesting Fact: The giant otter is also known as the ‘river wolf’.
The...
Tip of the Day
Go grocery shopping locally to help reduce your carbon footprint
Endangered Species of the Week: Coelacanth
Image courtesy of ARKive.org media library
Image courtesy of ARKive.org media library
Species: Coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae)
Status: Critically Endangered (CR)
Interesting Fact: The coelacanth is a member of an ancient lineage that has been around for over 360 million years. It may be the closest living relative to the first creature to walk on land!
The enigmatic coelacanth was believed to have gone extinct with the dinosaurs until its remarkable rediscovery in 1938. Fossils have been found all over the world except for Antarctica. Living coelacanths have been found in deep submarine caverns, reefs and slopes in a number of locations off the coast of Africa.
Unlike any other living animal, coelacanths have a hinged joint in the skull allowing the front part of the head to be lifted whilst feeding on fish such as cardinal fish, eels and skates. Coelacanths also have a large gel-filled cavity in the head, called the rostral organ, which can detect electric fields and may be used to locate prey or monitor its surroundings. Coelacanths are ovoviviparous (young develop inside the mother), and females may give birth to up to 26 pups. They are long lived, being thought to survive for up to 80 years.
The coelacanth is a difficult species to monitor. It is accidentally caught on lines whilst local fishermen search the deep waters for other species. A low reproductive rate means this species is particularly vulnerable to the removal of pregnant females from the population. The coelacanth is on listed Appendix I of CITES, and localised, voluntary bans on fishing protect areas where this species is known to inhabit.
Find out more about the coelacanth at the Australian Museum website.
See footage and images of the coelacanth on ARKive.
With thanks to @africanconserve for this suggested Endangered Species of the Week! If you would like to suggest an endangered species for us to profile, let us know via Twitter or Facebook.
Lauren Pascoe, ARKive Media Researcher
Tags: archive.org, Coelacanth, critically endangered, Latimeria chalumnae, oceans
One comment
You can also log in to post a comment.
Other Greenfudge.org posts
Update: Oil Found Along Florida’s Pensacola Beach
Earlier this week, it was anticipated that oil from the Gulf Coast spill would soon come upon Florida’s beaches. Today, it was reported that tar balls and oil sheens have, indeed, washed ashore on Florida’s Pensacola Beach. Many beachgoers were picking up the blobs of tar, which ranged from the size of a button to a ping pong ball. Pensacola Beach is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore and is known for its white beaches; unfortunately, it’s going to be...
Copenhagen 2009 – The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
What are the UNFCC and the Kyoto Protocol? Unofficially known as ‘Earth Summit,’ the UNFCC first gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June of 1992 with the basic goal of establishing limits on greenhouse gas production. The treaty was non-binding and without legal power. It is therefore commonly referred to as a ‘protocol’. The next significant and most well known meeting of the UNFCC was in Kyoto, Japan in 1997, marking a commitment from developed countries to cut their greenhouse...
Feeling Greenwashed? Spot the Spinner!
Brainwashing has been prevalent in media for while now. America’s enemies during the war (pick whichever you prefer) were doing it way back since the black and white era of film noir. Then the aliens arrived and are reputed to be at it even now, if one is to believe the X-files. And last but not the least, the soda companies allegedly sneak in subtle messages on cinema screens to make you run out and buy. But now it’s the...
The sex slaves of Iraq
(source: Flickr Creative Commons) Inmates at Bagdad female juvenile prison face punishment from the state and rejection or worse at home – often for simply being victims of the crimes of others. The victims of human trafficking and sexual slavery in Iraq face prosecution, unfair treatment, draconian laws and societal stigmas. The justice system is cruel and unjust, but the world outside offers little compassion or understanding for these young women. Sometimes prison may be the best option in a society where...
La Batalla Verde! The Great, Muddy Battle That Creates Greenspace!
When you were younger, did you ever enjoy playing in the mud? There were so many ways you could have fun with it: mud wrestling, mud pies, jumping in mud puddles. Life was grand—until your mother scolded you for tracking mud through the house. These days, you don’t exactly see adults playing in the mud very often (gods forbid what other people would think!). However, there is an awesome new game in town that allows you to play in the mud...
New report describes the return of acid rain – this time it’s from farms and cars
In the 70s and 80s acid rain received lots of attention for being a scourge upon forests and freshwater lakes and streams, poisoning aquatic life, insects and humans as well as corroding monuments and buildings in urban areas. Acid rain never went away, but its levels changed and its sources shifted. You see, acid rain is produced when either sulfur-oxides or nitrogen oxides interact with water in the atmosphere, reducing its ph levels and making it more acidic – resulting in nitric...
Live and Let Live: The Case for Biodiversity
As cliché as that phrase sounds, “live and let live” is exactly what biodiversity is all about. This seamless coexistence of all species is what makes life on earth so interesting. From microbes to whales, life on earth comes in all kinds of packages. If earth was a disco with each clubber representing a different species, than a Friday night is similar to what earth’s biodiversity looks like. And if some of the regulars stop coming after some time then...
CRU Chief Scientist Phil Jones to Temporarily Step Down
A couple weeks ago, the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) e-mail system was hacked into and thousands of e-mails were publicly posted online. Many of these e-mails were hand-picked because they hint at possible manipulation of climate change data. One of the main targets in the e-mails is chief scientist, Phil Jones. Skeptics claim that the usage of the words “trick” and “to hide the decline” is proof that he is responsible for promoting false information. However, Jones claims that the...
Growing trends towards green campuses
More colleges and universities are choosing to participate in efforts to make their campuses more environmentally safe, more energy efficient, and of course more green. For many campuses, the inspiration to go green grows from the desire to set an example for their communities; other colleges and universities seek savings in funds and resources. Still other schools are attempting to tie their academic programs to how they run their campuses, as a way to practice what they preach. Whatever the...
Breaking: Earthquake rocks Taiwan
An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 on the Richter scale struck in Taiwan today causing structural damage, rail disruptions, fire and around 64 injuries. Fortunately, there have been no reports of deaths from the quake so far. In an article on the earthquake, The Christian Science Monitor spoke to Kuo Kai-wen, director of the Seismology Center of Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau, who said the recent quakes in Chile and Haiti are unrelated to this latest seismic event in Taiwan: Kuo says...
View all articles
[...] Endangered Species of the Week: Coelacanth (greenfudge.org) [...]