: any of an order (Coelacanthiformes) of lobe-finned fishes known chiefly from Paleozoic and Mesozoic fossils
Illustration of coelacanth
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That story was told in the studio by Professor Julian Huxley, an evolutionary biologist, who used pickled wildlife specimens and a photograph of a coelacanth to explain the fish’s significance.—ABC News, 8 May 2026 The coelacanth’s deep-ocean habitat essentially shielded it from the chaos happening at the surface.—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026 The most famous living fossil lis a fish called the coelacanth.—Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 18 July 2025 The Indonesia coelacanth is a challenging species to research due to its deep-reef habitat.—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 7 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for coelacanth
Word History
Etymology
ultimately from Greek koilos hollow + akantha spine — more at cave