The coelacanth, Latimeria, is a true living fossil, first discovered in 1938. The female lays large eggs, 8-9 cm in diameter and weighing 300-400 grams.
Some scientists believe that the deep sea still holds many secrets, and that descendants of ancient species still live there, though we don't know it. The discovery of Latimeria, a lobe-finned fish, confirmed their suspicions. This, of course, refers to a "living fossil." Paleontology books written in the early 20th century claimed that lobe-finned fishes were a group that became extinct at the end of the Mesozoic Era. Their fossil remains come from rocks dating from the Devonian to the Cretaceous and are found in Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Lobe-finned fishes are among the oldest fishes, having lived since the Paleozoic Era.
On December 22, 1938, fishermen in the Comoros archipelago, north of Madagascar, found a strange fish in their nets. The specialist who examined it quickly concluded that it was a sensational catch. It was a lobe-finned fish, a representative of a group extinct 65 million years ago! Later, other such fish were caught in the same area (72 specimens caught by 1972). Unfortunately, all of these deep-sea fish were already dead when examined. On March 22, 1972, fishermen recovered a live Latimera, 85 cm long. The juvenile, placed in a container, lived for another four hours before dying. It had fallen victim to rapid changes in pressure and temperature. Adult Latimera can reach 1.80 m in length and weigh between 60 and 100 kg. It lives at depths of 500 to 800 meters. The female lays about 20 eggs and reaches maturity after a year. Most of Latimeria's ancestral relatives did not exceed 60 cm in length, with the exception of Mawsonia.
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