What is Latimeria? What is the known geographic distribution and habitat of Latimeria? Latimeria is often referred to as a ‘living fossil’ – explain why using specific details.

Question 1

What is Latimeria?

Answer 1

o	Type of lobe finned, bony fish
	Class Osteichthyes, subclass Sacropterygii

Question 2

What is the known geographic distribution of latimeria?

Answer 2

• Geographical distribution of limited to approximately two places
o Initially first found only in the Comoro islands, between Masadascar and mainland Africa, although the most recent catches were found along the Indian ocean coast as far North as Kenya- genetic analysis revealed they were of the same species
o Further discovery in an Indonesian fish market revealed that they turned up in a fish market in Sulawesi, Indonesia, almost 10000 km from Comoros, an entirely different species though
o Habitat- demersal- steep rocky slopes with caves and overhanging’s

Question 3

Latimeria is often referred to as a living fossil explain why:

Answer 3

• Fossils date back to about 410 MYA
• Most recent fossil is about 63 MYA
• Live specimens have been located
• Initially coelacanths were known only from the fossil record
• In 1938, a recently, dead specimen from Western Indian ocean was discovered (‘living fossil’)
• Since then more individuals have been collected (and even studied in situ) from this region
• Fish provided confirmation of the fossil records for palaeontologists