Previously known only from fossils of primitive fishes, this joint allows the coelacanth to open its mouth especially wide in order to swallow fish and other prey. A pair of powerful muscles—the ...

Yes, there was not a shadow of a doubt, scale by scale, bone by bone, fin by fin, it was a true Coelacanth.' Smith named the fish Latimeria chalumnae after Courtenay-Latimer and its place of capture, ...

The African coelacanth, a rare species that’s stayed much the same for the last 400 million years, has a lifespan of about 100 years, around five times longer than previously thought, according to a ...

Coelacanths are difficult to classify ... When a fish opens its mouth, the flap closes, drawing water into the mouth. As the fish closes its mouth, the flap opens. Oxygen is extracted from ...

The fish's jaw and neck are hinged so its mouth can open mouth wide and impale prey on needle-sharp teeth ... It is highly sensitive to vibrations in the water that could be made by prey such as ...