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New Coelacanth Species Discovered in Ancient Fossils

9/9/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Researchers discovered new coelacanth species from 200-million-year-old museum specimens, previously misidentified as marine reptiles.
Led by Jacob Quinn from the University of Bristol, the study identified over fifty coelacanth fossils, increasing known reports from four.
Coelacanths are ancient lobe-finned fishes with a fossil record dating back to the Early Devonian epoch.
Fossils were located in Bristol and Mendip Hills, once tropical islands.
These coelacanths likely preyed on smaller marine reptiles, including the misidentified Pachystropheus.

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Story summary

Researchers discovered new coelacanth species from 200-million-year-old museum specimens, previously misidentified as marine reptiles.
Led by Jacob Quinn from the University of Bristol, the study identified over fifty coelacanth fossils, increasing known reports from four.
Coelacanths are ancient lobe-finned fishes with a fossil record dating back to the Early Devonian epoch.
Fossils were located in Bristol and Mendip Hills, once tropical islands.
These coelacanths likely preyed on smaller marine reptiles, including the misidentified Pachystropheus.