Coelacanth

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/coelacanth

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Latimeria chalumnae and Latimeria menadoensis
2. What is the diet?Carnivore; preys on deep-sea fish, squid, and potentially crustaceans
3. How did scientists find a living coelacanth after millions of years?In 1938 a fisherman caught a fish that looked just like ancient fossils, and a scientist named Marjorie Courtenay‑Latimer saw it and realized it was a living coelacanth. Later, another species was found in Indonesia in 1997.
4. Where do coelacanths live in the ocean?They live in deep, dark parts of the ocean, usually between 70 and 400 meters deep, in places with rocks, caves, and overhangs. They are found near the east coast of Africa and near Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Paleontologist: A scientist who studies fossils to understand ancient life and Earth's history.
Homologous Structures: Body parts in different species that have a similar underlying structure due to shared ancestry.
Aphotic Zone: The part of a lake or ocean where there is little or no sunlight.