| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | SARCOPTERYGII | COELACANTHIFORMES | LATIMERIIDAE |
| Scientific Name: | Latimeria chalumnae | |||||||||
| Species Authority: | Smith, 1939 | |||||||||
Common Name/s:
|
||||||||||
| Red List Category & Criteria: | Critically Endangered A2cd, C2b ver 2.3 | ||||||||||||
| Year Assessed: | 2000 | ||||||||||||
| Assessor/s | Musick, J.A. | ||||||||||||
| History: |
|
| Range Description: | Known as the "living fossil", this species occurs in the Indo-West Pacific in the vicinity of the Grand Comoro and Anjouan islands, the coast of South Africa, Madagascar, and Mozambique. |
| Countries: |
Native:
Comoros; Indonesia
Regionally extinct:
South Africa
|
| FAO Marine Fishing Areas: |
Native:
Atlantic – southeast; Indian Ocean – western
|
| Population Trend: |
Unknown
|
| Habitat and Ecology: | L. chalumnae is a nocturnal hunter, sheltering within caves throughout the day and foraging at night on squid and other fish species. |
| Systems: | Marine |
| Citation: | Musick, J.A. 2000. Latimeria chalumnae. In: IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 21 November 2009. |
| Disclaimer: | To make use of this information, please check the <Terms of Use>. |
| Feedback: | If you see any errors or have any questions or suggestions on what is shown on this page, please fill in the feedback form so that we can correct or extend the information provided |
