A Coelacanth Fossil Plate

Coelacanth are probably best known for there relatively recent "reappearance". They were originally thought to have gone extinct alongside the dinosaurs...until 1938 when a single individual was caught by a South African fisherman.

A lobe-finned fish more closely related to amphibians and reptiles than to other fish, the coelacanth boasts a lineage more than 400 million years old. A dearth of morphological changes are seen when comparing living specimens to those in the ancient fossil record, earning the coelacanth the title of “living fossil”. Because of this, they are crucial to our understanding of the incredible vertebrate transition from water to land.

Today, only two coelacanth species remain, primarily inhabiting the eastern African coast, with rare sightings occurring in the waters surrounding Indonesia. With a lifespan of nearly a century, these scaly, armored fish grow to more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) in length and can weigh up to 200 pounds (90 kg). Coelacanth also boast an incredibly long, 5 year gestation period, resulting in embryos that hatch inside the mother and are subsequently born alive.

This specimen represents one of the precious few complete coelacanths known from Jurassic Solnhofen Limestone. This fossil plate has preserved exquisite detail of the fish's delicate structure, adding greatly to its aesthetic appeal and scientific value. An enigmatic animal, this fossil is a key piece of life's evolutionary puzzle.