Question

Coelacanth was caught in South Africa. state the significance of discovery of coelacanth in the evolutionary history of vertebrates.

Answer 1

They belong to an ancient lineage that has been around for more than 360 million years. Coelacanths can reach more than six feet long and weigh about 200 pounds, and they're covered in thick, scaly armor. It's estimated they can live up to 60 years or more. Coelacanths were known only from fossils until a live Latimeria chalumnae was discovered off the coast of South Africa in 1938. Until then, they were presumed to have gone extinct in the late Cretaceous period, over 65 million years ago. The second living species of coelacanth, Latimeria menadoensis, was discovered in an Indonesian market in 1997, and a live specimen was caught one year later.

Answer 2

Significance of discovery of Coelacanth in the evolutionary history of vertebrates:

• Coelacanth is a special type of fish which is called the lobfin and it is caught in the year 1938 in South Africa.
• This is very much important in the evolutionary history as this act as a missing link between the fish and the amphibians.
• They are the first amphibian who lived in both water and land.
• The evolution of this Coelacanth is making an effect in understanding that they are the ancestors of the tetra pods.
• Presently it is thought that the lungfish is the very close to the tetra pods.