In 1938, museum curator Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer discovered an unusual fish among the catch of a local trawler in South Africa. The specimen was later identified by ichthyologist J.L.B. Smith as a coelacanth (*Latimeria chalumnae*), a lineage of lobe-finned fish previously believed to have gone extinct approximately 66 million years ago. While prehistoric coelacanth fossils are frequently found in shallow-water deposits, the modern species resides primarily in deep-sea habitats, such as volcanic slopes at depths of several hundred meters. This environmental shift explains why the coelacanth eluded scientific detection for decades, as deep-water ecosystems remained largely inaccessible to early marine biological surveys.
Based on the text, what is true of coelacanths?
- Modern coelacanths primarily inhabit deep-sea environments, whereas prehistoric coelacanth fossils are typically found in shallow-water deposits.Cevap
- BThey migrated to deep-water ecosystems because shallow waters lacked adequate food resources.
- CModern coelacanths were first discovered by J.L.B. Smith during a deep-water marine biological survey.
- DPrehistoric coelacanth fossils are most frequently located on deep-sea volcanic slopes.