Madagascar may be the secret stronghold of the coelacanth, a species known as a “living fossil” that was believed to be extinct until a fisherman caught one in 1938.
34 specimens found have drawn the attention of biologists and conservationists. While the overall population remains a mystery, the authors of a new study suspect that Madagascar could be an important habitat for the coelacanth and may even be the homeland of its ancestors.
Fish fossils suggest Madagascar may be the homeland of ancient fish species. (Photo: KJIK Magazine).
With a history spanning 420 million years, the coelacanth is older than Madagascar itself, which has a coastline that is 88 million years old.
Co-author of the study Mike Bruton, a ichthyologist based in Cape Town, South Africa, stated: “Madagascar has a vast coastline, and we know that there are canyons along the coast where coelacanths prefer to live at depths of about 150 to 500 meters.”
Bruton, author of a book on the coelacanth (University Press of Florida, 2018), noted that these fish evolved 180 million years before dinosaurs first appeared, surviving even as continents shifted and an asteroid wiped out much of life on Earth, including marine “monsters” like Mosasaurs.
Initially known from fossils, the coelacanth was thought to be extinct until a net fisherman caught one in December 1938 off the coast of South Africa.
Currently, researchers recommend that Madagascar establish a coelacanth sanctuary in Onilahy Canyon and add L. chalumnae to the country’s list of protected species. Fishing teams should be encouraged to tag, photograph, and release any live coelacanths they catch.
