Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 106, October 2013, pp. 18-38. | Page 4
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They bear a superficial similarity to the living Latimeria, though they were
smaller, and had more elongated heads. Individuals grew up to 3 feet in length,
and had small lobed fins, suggesting that Coelacanthus were open-water
predators (Wikipedia).
Coelacanthus was a long-lived genus with a worldwide distribution. They
survived the Permian–Triassic extinction event, and eventually died out during
the end of the Jurassic, 145.5 million years ago.
The posterior part of the new Coelacanth fish fossil † Coelacanthus sharjah Khalaf, 2013
at Sharjah Natural History and Botanical Museum, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
26.09.2013. http://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/9967697023/
Measurements of the Sharjah Coelacanth Fossil
Total length: 35.00 cm; Head from mouth tip to gill cover: 8.00 cm; Tail length:
9.00 cm; Head width at the gill cover: 9.00 cm; Body width in the middle (dorsalventral): 9 cm, tail base width: 6.5 cm; Anterior dorsal fin: 5.50 cm; Posterior
dorsal fin: 4.50 cm; Pectoral fin: 6.50 cm; Pelvic fin: 5.50 cm; Anal fin: 5.00 cm;
Tail rays: 6.00 cm.
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 106 – October 2013