"This is not the greatest looking fish," says scientist Roy Caldwell. "But I wouldn't call it ugly. I'd say it's unusual."
That's for sure! The weird fish is called a coelacanth (see-luh-kanth). It is one of the most ancient living species. The first coelacanths swam nearly 400 million years ago. That's 140 million years before dinosaurs showed up.
Until the late 1930s, scientists thought the coelacanth was extinct. They had found fine fossils of the fish, but all were more than 70 million years old. They figured that's when the coelacanths died off.
Then in 1938, a fisherman caught one near the Comoros Islands near Madagascar. The prehistoric species had survived! But only, it seemed, in this small pocket of the Indian Ocean.
Last week Caldwell and two other scientists announced the discovery of another school of coelacanths. This group lives near northern Indonesia, more than 6,000 miles from the Comoros. The discovery suggests these fish prefer waters near volcanic activity. "Now we have a better idea of where to look for more," says Caldwell.
Still, the future of this fragile fish is uncertain. Coelacanths, which can weigh more than 60 pounds, are often caught accidentally in fishing nets. Since 1938, hundreds of the white-speckled fish have been caught near the Comoros Islands. Unable to survive in warm water, they die when they reach the surface. Says Caldwell: "These populations still need to be protected."