Where would you find a live prehistoric fish?

Numerous fossil remains have been found of coelacanth fish which died over 70 million years ago. In fact the coelacanth is said to have first appeared some 350 million years ago.

But to the amazement of experts the first living coelacanth was found in 1938 of the coast of South Africa. In 1952 a second one was caught on a line by a fisherman from the Comoro Islands, between Mozambique and Madagascar. Since then many more coelacanths have been taken around the Comoros.

Modern coelacanths are bigger than most of the fossil forms. They average about five feet in length and can weigh more than 100 pounds.

Usually they live among reefs, from which they will dart out on their prey. They are strong and powerful flesh eaters. The heart of a coelacanth is an S-shaped tube and is probably the most primitive of its kind in existence today.