Coelacanths have captured the public's imagination since the first discovery in 1938. JLB Smith's dramatic flight to the Comoros Islands in 1952 to collect the second specimen cemented the place of this species in the annals of history and the public's imagination. Later discoveries have continued to excite new generations of "coelacanth-o-philes".

The coelacanth, given the Latin name Latimeria chalumnae, has a unique structure, physiology and lifestyle, which you can begin to discover here.

Coelacanths are known from South Africa, the Comoros, Mozambique, Madagascar, Kenya and Tanzania, more information can be found here.

We hope these pages will answer any questions you may have.

If there is any information you cannot find, please let us know and we will add it as soon as we can.