The coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae, is a member of the fossil fish group, Crossopterygii, which was thought to be extinct until discovered off the east coast of Africa in 1938. It is gray-brown with lobed fins that have fleshy bases. The scales and bony plates are unlike those of modern fish. Length: about 1.5 meters (5 feet).

Crossopterygii is a subclass of the Osteichthyes that contain ancestors to the amphibians.