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Scientists Break Down Coelacanth

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The Associated Press

Published: December 23, 2007

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Scientists on Saturday dissected a coelacanth, a species of fish known as a living fossil, at the Tokyo Institute of Technology's Yokohama campus, the first such dissection in the country since 1989, with Prince Akishino, an expert on catfish, looking on.

The coelacanth is believed to be a species in the transitional stage of becoming amphibian. The dissection of the 120-centimeter long, 45-kilogram coelacanth was aimed at elucidating how it evolved.

The fish, which was caught in Tanzania, was donated to the institute two years ago.

Teruya Ueno, curator emeritus of the National Museum of Nature and Science, was in charge of the 1989 dissection of a coelacanth.

On Saturday, he watched as Tadasu Yamada, head of the Mammals and Birds Division of the same museum's Zoology Department, began the dissection, which was broadcast live at the university.

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