Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 112, April 2014, pp. 1-10. | Page 7

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chalumnae, is separated by 80 million years. The fossil record of the coelacanth is
unique because coelacanth fossils were found 100 years before the first live
specimen was identified. In 1938, Courtenay-Latimer rediscovered the first live
specimen, Latimeria chalumnae, which was caught off of the coast of East London,
South Africa. In 1997, a marine biologist was on a honeymoon and discovered
the second live species, Latimeria menadoensis in an Indonesian market. In July
1998, the first live specimen of Latimeria menadoensis was caught in Indonesia.
Approximately 80 species of coelacanth have been described, including the two
extant species. Before the discovery of a live coelacanth specimen, the coelacanth
time range was thought to have spanned from the Middle Devonian to the
Upper Cretaceous period. Although fossils found during that time were claimed
to demonstrate a similar morphology, recent studies pointed out that coelacanth
morphological conservatism is a belief that is not based on data (Wikipedia).

Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa and his daughter Nora Norman Ali
Khalaf in front of the Educational Science Museum, Kuwait City, State of Kuwait.
22.09.2013. http://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/10382502656/

References and Internet Websites:
Association for the Preservation of the Coelacanth.
http://gombessa.tripod.com/
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 112 – April 2014