Where has the West Indian Ocean coelacanth been recorded?

Latimeria chalumnae occurrence evidence comes from 12 records in 2 countries and territories, from 1938 to 1973. Most records come from Comoros.

• 12 records
• 2 places
• 8 years recorded
• Coelacanthi class

Observation evidence passport

Compare this animal’s observation pattern

When it is recorded

Peak month: December. Records cluster in the months an animal is present and being looked for, so a summer peak can reflect observer effort as much as the animal.

Records over time

Recording effort has risen steeply almost everywhere since the 1990s, so a rising line usually shows more observers rather than more animals.

Where West Indian Ocean coelacanth has been recorded

The countries below show where occurrence evidence exists for West Indian Ocean coelacanth. They do not define a complete habitat range: survey effort differs by place, and historical or one-off records can appear alongside repeated presence.