Coelacanth fish. Computer artwork of a coelacanth fish (Latimeria chalumnae) swimming through the Paleo Tethys Sea,390 million years ago during the Middle Devonian period. Coelacanths were thought to be extinct until,in 1938,a specimen was caught off the coast of South Africa. The species had long been known to local fishermen as kombessa. The coelacanth survives as the only known living member of a class of lobe-finned fish that flourished in the Mesozoic Era,400-60 million years ago. It was initially thought that their strong fleshy fins were used for swimming and for crawling on land,and that these fish were a step in the evolution of land animals. Coelacanths,however,are unable to walk | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Myers, Walter |
Taille de l’image : | 4882 px × 3661 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |