Coelacanth
From Conservapedia
Coelacanth is an order of lobe-finned fishes related to lungfishes and represented by two living species, Latimeria chalumnae and Latimeria menadoensis, as well as many fossils of extinct species. Among living Coelacanths, adult females are larger in size than males and the largest recorded specimen of Coelacanth was 178 centimeters in length and weighed 98 kilograms. It is considered to be a critically endangered species and an estimated 1,000 fishes are alive today.[1]
Evolutionist scientists claim the fossil record of Coelacanths now extends from what they call the early Devonian (410-415 million years ago)[2] to the late Cretaceous (about 80 million years ago).[3] They incorrectly claimed that the coelacanth existed on earth before 65 million years and became extinct.[4] A discovery occurred in 1938 when Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, curator of a museum in East London, South Africa, found a curious fish in the catch brought back by a trawler just before Christmas. In February 1939 ichthyologist James Leonard Brierley Smith identified the fish as a coelacanth and named it Latimeria chalumnae after its discoverer and the Chalumna River where it was caught. Since 1938, many coelacanths have been caught.[4]
Modern Coelacanths are often called 'living fossils' by evolutionist scientists, but they claim two modern species are different from their ancient relatives. According to these scientists, the fact that coelacanths exist today is no different from the fact that in today's oceans we find modern species of sharks or starfish that differ from their fossilized counterparts. These people argue since living Coelacanths are rare (and so much rarer than their ancient relatives), they escaped the notice of scientists until the 20th century.
This view held by the evolutionists has been criticized by scholars. Critics have pointed that after a coelacanth was found in 1938 off Africa’s coast,[4] evolutionists have been unable to provide any explanation how these species survived for so long time.[5] Scholars, citing the evidences obtained from numerous fossils, explained many fossils were buried under water-borne sediment after the Great Flood. This prevented decay and created an exquisite degree of preservation. This is why coelacanths are not extinct today.[4]
References
- ↑ 'Fossil fish' hits the web BBC News
- ↑ Oldest coelacanth, from the Early Devonian of Australia Biology Letters
- ↑ Megalocoelacanthus dobiei
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Correcting the headline: ‘Coelacanth’ yes; ‘Ancient’ no Creationontheweb.com
- ↑ Mokele-mbembe: a living dinosaur? Creationontheweb.com
