coelacanth

A detailed Summary of coelacanth


The coelacanth is the animal that I did research on and found many intersting facts pertaining to the coelacanth. The coelacanth is a fish with characteristics that differ and vary from modern day fish.

The coelacanth has some effect on the countries around the locations where they are being seen.

"The coelacanth appeared about 350 million years ago and were abundant over much of the world". Thought to be extinct 60 million years ago, but in 1936, a living member was caught in the Indian Ocean near Africa. It was thought to become extinct the same time as the dinosaurs. The scientific name is Latimeria chalumnae. In some parts of the world it is known as the Kombessa. In Sulawesi, they called it Raja laut, meaning "king of the sea".

Some features to this fish are relative to others, and different. The coelacanth that was caught was four feet in length and weighed 64 pounds; however, the average height and weight is five feet and 100 pounds. It is a sarcoptergian, a lobe finned fish, related to lungfish. Unlike other bony fish, its pectoral and pelvic fins are muscular. It has fins that are able to move 180 degrees, so it can swim forwards, backwards, and even upside down. In terms of reproduction, it is a


------------------------------------------------------------------------

The coelacanth first came to the attention of science in 1938. At the time, a young scientist named Majorie Courteney-Latimer was curator of a small natural history musuem in East London, South Africa. Courteney-Latimer had been given the right to decide the direction the collections would take, because the musuem was new. And she had chosen to focus on marine life. Local fisherman often brought her unusual fish from their catches. Captain Hendrick Goosen contaced her, saying that he had several fish, she might be interested in. When she got to the dock, she found a pile of sharks. But underneath the pile was a blue fish unlike and she has ever seen. So she ventured with this one. Courteney-Latimer later contacted L. B. J. Smith, and expert on South African fish. Smith recognized the fish as a coelacanth. 14 years passed before anymore were discovered. But since 1952, 200 more coelacanth's were discovered.

thern tip of Madagascar. The retinas of its eyes inclue a reflective layer that helps it see in the dimly lit waters. All that is known about the coelacanths has come from studying dead specimens. Upon dissection, some females were found to contain huge, nearly

Some common words found in the essay are:
Kombessa Sulawesi, Mozambique Channel, South African, , Hans Fricke, Comoro Islands, Hendrick Goosen, American British, Africa Courteney-Latimer, Indian Ocean, comoro islands, fish coelacanth, coelacanth coelacanth,

Approximate Word count = 848
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous

join now Save Paper

Related Essays

  • Loch Ness: The Evidence ... these creatures are ordinary such as the mountain gorilla See Appendix which was not discovered until 1902, or extraordinary like the coelacanth See Appendix ... 2916 words
  • Where Have They Gone ... From the common flounder or sea star you can find when you walk across the beach to a rare fish like the coelacanth prehistoric fish that was believed to be ... 3125 words


Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.
Home Join Now Support
Acceptable Use Policy About us FAQ
All papers are for research and reference purposes only!
© 2002-2009 DirectEssays.com. All Rights Reserved.