Coelacanth Mouse Mat

The coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae, is a lobe-finned fish (sarcopterygii) once thought to have gone extinct in the Late Cretaceous, only to be discovered by a scientist on a fishing boat in Africa in 1938. A second species, Latimeria menadoensis, was discovered in the late 1990s in Indonesia. Lobe-finned fish, like coelacanths and lungfish, are noteworthy as a potential ancestor group to tetrapods (amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals). This product features a cartoon drawing of a blue, spotted coelacanth on a brown background, with a large "ghost" overlay of the coelacanth and the name "Coelacanth." A great gift for a biologist, paleontologist, or lover of rare and unusual animals!