Coelacanthe vs Olive-gray Thomasomys

Latimeria chalumnae compared with Thomasomys cinereus

Key Differences

• Coelacanthe is Critically Endangered while Olive-gray Thomasomys is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coelacanthe	Olive-gray Thomasomys
Kingdom same	Animalia (animal)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Coelacanthi (Coelacanthi)	Mammalia (mammifères)
Order	Coelacanthiformes (Cœlacanthe)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Latimeriidae	Cricetidae
Genus	Latimeria	Thomasomys
Species	Latimeria chalumnae	Thomasomys cinereus

Evolutionary Relationship

Coelacanthe and Olive-gray Thomasomys share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Coelacanthe

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~500

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Olive-gray Thomasomys

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coelacanthe	Olive-gray Thomasomys
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	100 years	—
Average Length	1.8 m	—
Average Weight	80.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coelacanthe

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.

Olive-gray Thomasomys

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Ecuador.

Coelacanthe

A living fossil thought extinct for 65 million years until rediscovered off South Africa in 1938, coelacanths can reach 2 meters and 90 kg. They belong to an ancient lobe-finned lineage more closely related to tetrapods than to ray-finned fish, making them scientifically invaluable for understanding vertebrate evolution. Found in deep rocky reef habitats of the Indian Ocean, they are nocturnal and undergo internal fertilization, giving birth to fully formed live young. Critically Endangered.