What is the 400 million year old fish found alive?
The 400-million-year-old fish found alive is the coelacanth (specifically the Latimeria genus), a "living fossil" previously thought to have gone extinct 70 million years ago. Rediscovered in 1938 off South Africa, these deep-sea, lobe-finned fish are known for their limb-like fins and, in some cases, a unique headstanding behavior.
He named the genus Coelacanthus. Many more fossil coelacanths have been found since, ranging in age from 409-66 million years old. The living West Indian Ocean coelacanth reaches up to two metres long and 100 kilograms.
The coelacanth – often mistakenly called a 'living fossil' or a 'dinosaur fish' had been known from fossils dated back more than 400 million years – way before dinosaurs – and was thought to be extinct until 1938, when a specimen was discovered in a fishing newt off the coast of South Africa.
The Coelacanth has been swimming the seas for more than 400 million years, but this “living fossil” was once believed to be extinct. Scientists thought that the Coelacanth had disappeared with the dinosaurs. Then, in 1938, a living specimen was caught in East London, South Africa.
What is the 420 million year old fish found alive?
It wasn't until 1938 when a live coelacanth was caught in a fishing trawl that we realized they were still alive. Today, there are two known living species. The earliest coelacanth fossils date back as far as the Devonian period, approximately 420 mya.
Living Fossil That Refused to Die (400-Million-Year-Old Fish Found Alive)
What weird fish was found in the ocean in 2025?
From late May to early June 2025, the ocean revealed a series of rare and unsettling events — four unusual appearances of the oarfish, a mysterious deep-sea creature often called the “doomsday fish.” These sightings captured attention worldwide, blending science with myth and sparking curiosity about what drives such ...
In 2025, marine biologists in Indonesia photographed the legendary “living fossil” swimming in the Maluku Archipelago — marking the first-ever wild image of this species. Once believed to have gone extinct 70 million years ago, the coelacanth is still alive in the deep, dark waters of our planet.
And maybe strangest of all, researchers figure pregnancy in the fish lasts about five years. Coelacanths, which have been around for 400 million years, were thought extinct until they were found alive in 1938 off South Africa. Scientists long believed coelacanths live about 20 years.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation's updated figure for fish in the sea in 2050 is roughly 899 million tonnes. But it also increases its estimate for the amount of plastic in the ocean in 2050 to between 850 million and 950 million tonnes, or about 25% more than originally predicted.
Glass sponges are considered the oldest animals on Earth—and it's by a long shot. Scientists estimate that they can live for more than 10,000 years, possibly 15,000 years maximum. One glass sponge observed by researchers in the Ross Sea, a bay of Antarctica, is thought to be the oldest living animal on the planet.
Why is the Devils Hole Pupfish so Rare? Twice annually for the past 50 years, scientists have conducted population surveys on the Devils Hole pupfish. Counts ranged from a high of 550 to a low of just 35 total. In 2022 and 2023's spring count, the population reached a 22-year high at just 175 pupfish.
The oldest fossils of animals resembling a fish date back between 518 million and 530 million years ago. Discovered in China and called Haikouichthys, these animals were about an inch long (2.5 cm) and had a head with seven to eight slits at its base that looked like gills.
More importantly, they discovered that the three different buffalofish species found in the lake had ages more than 100 years. To their knowledge, such longevity across multiple freshwater fish species is found nowhere else in the world.
The list of animals that will be extinct by 2050 includes iconic creatures, such as lions, elephants, and pandas. In this article, I'll take a closer look at these animals and discover why they risk disappearing from our planet forever. It's truly staggering how many animal species are currently critically endangered!
Located in the Hall of Vertebrate Origins, the coelacanth was previously believed to have gone extinct around 70 million years ago, until a live specimen was discovered off the coast of South Africa in 1938; since then, approximately 300 to 400 coelacanth specimens have been found, mostly in the western Indian Ocean.
African forest elephants. All three elephant species are endangered, but the African forest elephant is critically endangered, according to the World Wildlife Fund. ...
Catfish have more taste buds than humans do in their mouths, with some species having over 27,000. These taste buds are spread across their entire bodies, including their skin, fins, and barbels (whiskers).
This sexual dimorphism is a distinctive characteristic of the 'black devil' fish and is quite rare in the animal kingdom. The females are larger and have a well-developed illicium and a wide mouth, with sharp and pointed teeth, ideal for capturing prey.
The Greenland shark has the longest known lifespan of all vertebrate species. It is estimated that the species has a lifespan of at least 272 years, with the oldest individual estimated to be 392 ± 120 years of age. Estimates of age were made using radiocarbon dating of crystals within the lenses of their eyes.
Bobi (Portuguese pronunciation: [bɔˈβi], 11 May 1992 – 21 October 2023) was a male purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo dog cared for by Leonel Costa of Conqueiros, Leiria, Portugal. Bobi was claimed by his caretaker to be the oldest dog to ever live and the first dog on record to reach 30 years.
The Turritopsis dohrnii, a species of jellyfish discovered in the Mediterranean Sea, is truly one of a kind. Unlike most animals that age and eventually die, this jellyfish has a unique ability: it can revert to its earlier polyp stage when faced with stress, injury, or old age.
