Celacanto vs Common corncockle

Latimeria chalumnae compared with Agrostemma githago

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Celacanto	Common corncockle
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (planta)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Coelacanthi (Coelacanthi)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Coelacanthiformes (Coelacanthimorpha)	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)
Family	Latimeriidae	Caryophyllaceae
Genus	Latimeria	Agrostemma
Species	Latimeria chalumnae	Agrostemma githago

Conservation Status

Celacanto

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~500

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Common corncockle

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Celacanto	Common corncockle
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	100 years	—
Average Length	1.8 m	—
Average Weight	80.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Celacanto

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 8 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Afrotropic and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Comoros, Indonesia, Mozambique, and South Africa. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common corncockle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including montane grasslands and shrublands, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and temperate coniferous forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Lesotho), Asia (7 countries), Europe (24 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil, Chile). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Celacanto

Un fósil viviente considerado extinto durante 65 millones de años hasta su redescubrimiento frente a Sudáfrica en 1938, los celacantos pueden alcanzar 2 metros y 90 kg. Pertenecen a un antiguo linaje de aletas lobuladas más relacionado con los tetrápodos que con los peces de aletas radiales, lo que los hace científicamente invaluables para comprender la evolución de los vertebrados. Encontrados en hábitats de arrecifes rocosos profundos del Océano Índico, son nocturnos y experimentan fertilización interna, dando a luz crías completamente formadas. En Peligro Crítico.

Common corncockle

<em>Agrostemma githago</em>, commonly known as common corncockle, is an annual flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. Once a widespread weed of cereal crops across Europe, Asia, and beyond, this species is now Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to the dramatic decline caused by modern agricultural practices, particularly improved grain cleaning and herbicide use. Corncockle is a tall, slender plant covered in silky white hairs, bearing large, solitary pink to purple flowers with distinctive dark veining. Its seeds contain toxic saponin compounds called githagins, which historically contaminated grain supplies. The species now survives primarily in wildflower conservation areas, seed banks, and traditional farmland conservation schemes. It typically grows in open, disturbed arable soils with full sun exposure. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.