Coelacanth

Coelacanth is a species of fish that was believed to have gone extinct millions of years ago along with the dinosaurs. Coelacanth can grow more than 2 metres in length and can weigh about 90 kg.  But, surprisingly the Coelacanth resurfaced in the year 1938 when it was caught in the deeper waters of the coast of Madagascar. In recent news the Coelacanth species of fish has been found alive in the Indian Ocean.

Q1. What is the scientific name of Coelacanth?

The scientific name of the Coelacanth fish is Latimeria chalumnae and they have been categorized as critically endangered under the IUCN list.

Q2. What is the Coelacanth known as and how far does it dates back?

The Coelacanth fish species is also known as four-legged fish and its origin can be traced back to 420 million years.

Q3. Where was the Coelacanth fish species sighted most recently?

Recently, Coelacanth fish species was found alive in the Indian Ocean and in the year 2019 it was sighted near the coasts of Madagascar. Also, they generally reside in undersea canyons at depths ranging between 100 to 500 metres.

Q4. What is IUCN?

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization that was founded in the year 1948 and is headquartered in Gland, Switzerland. IUCN maintains the IUCN red lists which acts as a source of the risk of extinction of various species. IUCN helps in the conservation of natural resources and the various natural species.

Q5. Is India a part of IUCN?

India became a member of IUCN in the year 1969.