Coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae)

Not discovered until 1938, the coelacanth is considered a “living fossil”. Although paleontologists previously knew of “hollow-spined” fossils from the Devonian and Cretaceous periods, the discovery of modern-day descendants of this ancient group of fish was a sensation. The small population of coelacanths lives in the deep sea near the Comoros and is at risk of extinction.