West Indian Ocean coelacanth
Latimeria chalumnae
The Comorian coelacanth is a recent type of coelacanth ( Coelacanthimorpha ). The animals are up to two meters long and are located on the east coast of South Africa. They are known only in a small number of individuals and probably threatened with extinction. Due prisoner of examinations of the stomach contents Comorian coelacanth is assumed that they are carnivores in the animals.
Developmentally, the lung has evolved into a swim bladder in this species. The brain of the Comoros coelacanth takes only about one one-hundredth the volume of the brain cavity, otherwise the brain cavity is filled with a fat-like substance.
Fund history
Was discovered for science, the first specimen of this species on 22 December 1938 by Marjorie Courtenay - Latimer, the ( as of 1945 with the name " Director " ) worked east of Cape Town conductive as a curator at the East London Museum. The animal was caught by a trawler under the command of Hendrik Goosen in the waters of the Indian Ocean off the South African coast near the mouth of Chalumna. As Courtenay - Latimer had made friends with Captain Goosen, she was regularly informed in port, of the entry of the vessel and had to select the permission interesting pieces from the catch for her museum. The chemistry professor and amateur ichthyologist James LB Smith ordered the animal to the previously held extinct coelacanths. Despite immediately initiated search for copies of this kind was in 1952 succeeded in the Comoros Islands, located about 300 km north of the first occurrence to catch another animal. As the first fish it could not be kept alive after it was brought from the catchers on board the fishing vessel. In the nineties of the 20th century, then go further observations, including the discovery of a further population of coelacanths, which may represent a separate species and are called Manado Coelacanth.
Way of life
With its leg-like pectoral and ventral fins, the fish can move " cloister " in a way. For these alternating movements of the fins he has in his nervous system certain " neuromuscular coordination " as it is called Hans Fricke. In his view, such coordination may have facilitated the relatives of the coelacanth to step ashore. However, animals of the extant species do not go around on the sea floor, and their fins do not even touch the ground, such as when stalking their prey, with the pectoral fins 180 degrees can be rotated about the longitudinal axis. If the coelacanth want to swim fast, he used his powerful tail fin.
Coelacanths are night hunters and drift float that exploit the weakest water flow for locomotion. Her big breast and pelvic fins they use for balancing.
During the day, keep the coelacanth in lava caves that lie on the Comoros Islands between 150 and 200 meters below sea level. The animals found in front of Sulawesi lived in a 155-meter low-lying limestone cave. In the sometimes very spacious caves live up to 16 animals. By sunset, the animals leave their cave individually. Your forays they lead only a few kilometers away from their den and up in 700 meters depth.
Floats them a prey fish pre mouth, then they can greatly speed up with a blow to its broad tail fin. A non-existent in other fish joint in the skull allow them to tear open her mouth so quickly and perform a lightning Saugschnappbewegung with which they bring their prey rapidly, surrounded by sharp-toothed mouth.