A fish swims in a deep ocean called Coelacanth with odd lobe fins that grow with a very large proportion. Coelacanths can reach up to six feet and weigh around 200 pounds, making them the size of humans. Recent researchers found that Coelacanth could live up to five times longer than expected.
The oldest specimen researcher has been found is 84 years. The team also found that Coelacanth lived very slowly in many ways, including not reaching maturity up to around 55 years old. Sea creatures also told the descendants for five years. Researchers who conducted a new study said the most important findings were that the age of Coelacanth was underestimated by a factor of five.
The researchers reevaluated the body’s growth for beings with a new age date and found it was one of the slowest growing between fish with the same size. Scientists also see the nature of other life history that shows that the history of coelacanth life is one of the slowest fish of all fish. Previously, Coelacanth’s age was estimated by observing the growth ring on their scales (seen in the photo above). Calculating the growth ring causes an understanding that the fish does not live more than 20 years, which will make the creature one of the fastest growing fish, considering their large size.
Fast growth does not mesh with other known biological and ecological features, including slow metabolism and low fecundity. It’s also more typical for fish that live in deep water to grow slowly and have a slow history of life. In this study, the researchers investigated 27 specimens which were part of the National French National Museum of National History, which held one of the largest collections of Coelacanth specimens.
The previous study relied on the structure that was seen calcified called micro-Circuli to the age of fish in a way similar to calculating the growth ring on the tree. The new approach pioneered by the research team allows them to take the circulations that are much smaller and almost invisible on their scale. The findings show coelacanth specimens are about five times older than those believed before.