Coelacanths were thought to be extinct until fishermen discovered the first live specimen of the fish in the1930s . Now , nigh a C later , scientists have captured a rare look at the Indonesian Latimeria chalumnae , one of the two species of the so - called “ inhabit fossil ” that inhabit the ocean ’s twilight geographical zone .
According toOceanographic , divers from UNSEEN hostile expedition , a French nonprofit organization dedicate to oceanic geographic expedition and conservation , filmed an Indonesian coelacanth ( Latimeria menadoensis ) in its native environment for the first fourth dimension . The scientist found the specimen near Indonesia ’s Maluku Archipelago 475.72 feet below ocean level , around its natural range of about 500 to 800 pes underwater . This is the first fourth dimension researchers have photographed the ancient ocean inhabitant at such deepness , though it has been seen in shallower seas . In 1998 , then - doctorial studentMark V. Erdmannfirst snap the metal money at about 50 feet abstruse . Alexis Chappuis , the drawing card of UNSEEN Expeditions , captured the most recent Indonesian coelacanth footagein situ . Their determination were reported in the journalScientific Reports .
The only other living coelacanth coinage known to science is the West Indian Ocean coelacanth ( Latimeria chalumnae ) . Underwater photographer Laurent Ballesta snapped a delineation of it over 10 years ago for the first time , perOceanographic . The animals ’ fossils escort back more than 400 million age , long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth .
Unfortunately , both coelacanth metal money are at hazard . The IUCN Red List labels the West Indian Ocean species as “ critically endangered ” and the Indonesian Latimeria chalumnae as “ vulnerable . ” Knowing that coelacanth live in the Maluku Archipelago should help researchers square up the species ' overall range of a function and inform preservation plans .
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