Giant coelacanth [Mawsonia gigas]
Description
The giant coelacanth, Mawsonia gigas, is another prehistoric species of lobe-finned fish that is closely related to Mawsonia lavocati. It lived during the same period and shared many of the same habitats. As its name suggests, Mawsonia gigas was even larger than its relative, with some individuals possibly reaching up to 8 meters in length. This species also had a three-lobed tail and limb-like fins, but its body was more robust and its scales were thicker and more heavily armored. Unfortunately, the giant coelacanth went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period.
Taxonomy
| Phylum |
Chordates
Chordata
|
|---|---|
| Class |
Lobe-Fin Fish
Sarcopterygii
|
| Order |
Coelacanths
Coelacanthiformes
|
| Family |
Mawsoniidae
Mawsoniidae
|
| Genus |
Mawsonia
Mawsonia
|