Name: West Indian Ocean coelacanth or African coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae), known as ‘gombessa’ in the Comoros Islands
Where it lives: Off the east coast of Africa
What it eats: A variety of fish and cephalopods, including squid and cuttlefish.
The head of a preserved Coelacanth specimen in Beijing, China. (Image credit: Alamy)
Why it’s awesome: Scientists thought all coelacanths went extinct over 65 million years ago — until the West Indian Ocean coelacanth was found by chance living off the coast of South Africa in 1938 . Coelacanths first appeared over 400 million years ago, but their fossil record stopped around the same time as the dinosaurs disappeared. Their unexpected reappearance means they are what is known as a Lazarus species.
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