Prehistoric Coelacanth Plush Toy – Soft and Ancient Deep-Sea Wonder

Animal Facts:

Coelacanths are ancient lobe-finned fish that first appeared over 400 million years ago during the Devonian period. Thought to have gone extinct 66 million years ago, they amazed the world when a living specimen was discovered in 1938. Known as "living fossils", their body structure has remained largely unchanged for hundreds of millions of years.

In prehistoric times, coelacanths were incredibly diverse, with many species inhabiting both freshwater and marine environments. Fossils reveal that some ancient coelacanths, like the giant Mawsonia, could grow up to 5 meters (16 feet) long! These prehistoric giants were an important part of the ecosystem, filling niches as predators and scavengers.

Coelacanths are truly unique among fish, thanks to their lobed fins, which resemble tetrapod limbs and highlight their role in the evolutionary transition from water to land. These deep-sea marvels are ovoviviparous, giving birth to live young after an extraordinary 5-year gestation period, the longest of any fish. They also possess a hinged skull, enabling them to open their mouths wide to catch prey, and their brains occupy just 1.5% of their braincase, with the rest filled with fat. Remarkably, coelacanths can even "walk" underwater using their lobed fins, a fascinating connection to their ancient lineage and evolutionary history.