Question

State the significance of coelacanth in evolution.

Answer 1

Hint: The coelacanths consist of a rare order of fish which are two extant species in the genus Latimeria. Coelacanths are part to the subclass Actinistia, a group of lobed-finned fish related to lungfish and certain extinct Devonian fish such as osteolepiforms, porolepiforms, rhizodonts, and Panderichthys.

Complete answer:
> The two latimeria fish are : the West Indian Ocean coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) present in Africa and the Indonesian coelacanth (Latimeria menadoensis) and these are very endangered species.
> Coelacanths were thought to have become extinct in the Late Cretaceous, around 66 million years ago, but were rediscovered in 1938 off the coast of South Africa.
> The coelacanth is known as a "living fossil" because scientists thought it was a member of a taxon otherwise known only from fossils, with no close relations alive and that it evolved into roughly its current form approximately 400 million years ago. Now, various studies show that coelacanth body shapes are more diverse than previously thought.
> Coelacanth is a living fossil that shows the important transition from fish to terrestrial. They are amphibians like four-legged animals.
> It has paired lobed fins which extend away from the body like arms and legs.
> It is able to eat large prey because of a hinged joint in the skull.Backbone is the oil-filled tube called notochord.

Note: Coelacanths were thought to become extinct within the Late Cretaceous, around 66 million years ago, however were rediscovered in 1938 off the republic of South Africa.