Coelacanths

Part I of Essay
are an ancient fish-like vertebrates that first appeared some 350 million years ago, about the time the first creatures emerged from sea to land. In terms of evolution, these ancient "fishes" are more closely related to land animals than to fish. Note the specimen's pai ....

Part II of Essay
.... north of Madagascar, they met with success. Since then, more than 200 specimens have been found, all in the same region. Apart from the novelty of being such rare fish, have very great zoological importance. First, they are "living fossils"-a life form that has been preserved almost unchanged for many millions of years. As such, they offer the scientist a view of the biology of an earlier stage in the history of life. Second, the group of fishes to which the coelacanth belongs occupies an extremely important place in the vertebra ....