The Fish That Time Forgot
Being in front of an animal older than dinosaurs would present a unique sensation while looking through its ancient eyes. Deep-sea researchers at the Maluku Archipelago utilized their footage to show an extraordinary event as they discovered the elusive Indonesian coelacanth (Latimeria menadoensis). Science footage showed this deep water ghost swimming through the ocean floor without concern for the myths surrounding its existence while humans presumed it died with the tyrannosaurs 70 million years ago.
Humanity experienced a poetic moment of being disproven by natural secrets in this discovery even though this event wasn’t the first incidence. The prehistoric-looking coelacanth fish has startled humanity with its reappearance to teach us about our ignorance regarding the deep sea. The discovery extends beyond a mere fish as part of its breathtaking significance. Our understanding grows with both scientific methodology and humble recognition of underwater life along with scientific discoveries in place we believed were absent of life.
A Survivor from the Devonian Era
The coelacanth traces its ancestry to greater than 400 million years ago when Earth displayed an entirely different appearance. Study of fossil records indicates that evolutionary ancestors of coelacanths survived across 400 million years until the emergence of flowers and flying insects. A new coelacanth specimen stunned researchers when a South African fishing boat pulled it from its net during 1938 because experts thought this species had disappeared in the Late Cretaceous era. The paleoichthyologist John G. Maisey described the discovery as an event which disturbed fundamental principles of vertebrate evolutionary theory.
The peculiar nature of this species becomes more intriguing because it remains unchanged after centuries. The fins on this species show early signs of developing into proper limbs for land-dwelling creatures. The creature displays an unnatural mechanical look thanks to its thick scales together with its special intracranial joint that enables it to move its upper skull apart from its lower jaw. And yet, it works. A fossil, yes, but one in motion. The species selected longevity over evolution for its development.
Deep-Sea Shadows in the Maluku Archipelago
Marine scientists with Indonesian and Japanese affiliations used the R/V Baruna Jaya VIII in April 2025 to guide an ROV through mapping locations near volcanic Halmahera slopes. A large slowly moving form appeared in front of the cameras while they operated at a depth of 210 meters near a rock outcrop. The scientific camera confirmed that the figure down below was unquestionably a coelacanth.
Scientists from LIPI identified the northern Maluku Chain area as the first reported coelacanth observation in the past decade. Researchers detected a coelacanth swimming in the area again in 2011 though scientists found this specimen as a catch rather than observing it in its natural habitat. Scientists tracked the fish in real conditions as it resided in the oxygen-rich and low-light areas next to underwater cave systems. Dr. During the expedition Emi Watanabe described her experience of observing a deep-sea fish that exhibited deliberate movement while seeming to have all the time it needed. Witnessing the animal in its natural habitat seemed to reveal a version of the past.
Why It Matters: Evolution’s Quiet Rebel
The coelacanth exists as both a strange biological form and an extremely unique scientific phenomenon. This fish grows slowly reaches 100 years of life span but takes half a century to become sexually mature. A team of researchers published their findings about coelacanth growth rings from French museum specimens in Current Biology (2021) through radiographic analysis of scales.
According to evolutionary principles such slow growth represents an unusual pattern which puts species at risk for extinction. Species without quick adaptability become exposed to natural changes along with human disturbances. The coelacanth population survives by existing in a niche where environmental factors show minimal fluctuations. It does not achieve survival through quick adaptation. As the deep sea moves very slowly the coelacanth manages to exist harmoniously within its habitat.
Genetics researchers now confront various unanticipated scientific inquiries because of the coelacanth discovery. Research by the Broad Institute in Massachusetts revealed in 2013 that the coelacanth genome remained highly unchanged when compared to other vertebrates. “Molecular clocks receive major challenges from this discovery according to evolutionary geneticist Chris Amemiya.”
Science reveals that into deep ocean abysses more concealed secrets possibly exist.
This discovery puts the focus on the urgent research question which seeks to determine what additional hidden species exist. Oceanographers believe that only 9% of marine species have been discovered while the remaining 91% still hides from scientific observation. A 2011 PLoS Biology study provides the number of 91% which represents the ocean’s undiscovered species count. Earth possesses an extensive marine frontier which we humans remain mainly ignorant about particularly regarding deep zones such as the Maluku trench region.
The discovery of deep-sea octopuses’ nursery occurred off Costa Rica during the late 2023 period as scientists studied animals with see-through skin and luminous sacs. Reports from Indonesian artisanal divers about “ghost fish” around underwater caves were previously dismissed yet the discovery of a coelacanth proved their tradition-linked knowledge had been consistent all along.
The issue is that these environments face continuous threats of destruction. The destruction of these marine sanctuaries advances steadily because deep-sea mining and illegal fishing combined with warming temperatures happen unnoticed until it becomes too late.
The conservation of the Time-Traveler of the Sea demands immediate attention
The protection of conservation goes beyond saving one specific fish species. Safety measures must protect an evolving evolutionary document that exists in the present. The coelacanth maintains a legal status of being unprotected across various sections of its habitat although they exist as rare species. Deep-sea protection in Indonesia remains insufficient given its position as the maritime biodiversity leader among more than 17,000 islands that make up this Southeast Asian nation.
Grassroots efforts are picking up. Local professional diver Pak Ardi Nugroho established a conservation program in North Sulawesi while he conducts research on coelacanth habitats and records deep reef species. Protecting a species represents only one part of his mission according to him. “We are protecting wonder.”
Our society struggles to preserve wonder because we exist during a time characterized by quick Artificial Intelligence solutions and speedy responses.
Time fails to eliminate any living entity
Rediscovering the coelacanth species occurred without fortuitous or serendipitous conditions. It’s a symbol. Our assessment of past losses stands opposite to our current prospect of finding or losing based on our observance and value systems. It brings comfort in our society dominated by new technology to understand that an ancient vastly improbable entity that has maintained its essential unchanged state continues swimming beneath the ocean surface.
Extinction might not be a permanent state according to this lesson. Maybe it’s that assumptions are.
The most ancient narratives continue to hold value by retelling them to future generations.