Quan Long
From “Still Capable of Adapting: Genetic Diversity of ‘Living Fossil’ Coelacanths” (ScienceDaily, June 14, 2012), we learn,
The morphology of coelacanths has not fundamentally changed since the Devonian age, that is, for about 400 million years. Nevertheless, these animals known as living fossils are able to genetically adapt to their environment.
The data generally revealed low genetic diversity. As presumed, the evolution of these animals is only progressing slowly. Nevertheless, certain genetic patterns were only found in certain geographic regions. “We assume that the African coelacanth originally came from around the Comoros Islands, home to the largest known population” Lampert explains. Since then, however, two further, now independent populations have established themselves in South Africa and Tanzania. In addition, the animals around the Comoros belong to two genetically distinct groups. “We have thus been able to show that despite their slow evolutionary rate, coelacanths continue to develop and are potentially also able to adapt to new environmental conditions” says the RUB researcher. “The image of the coelacanth as a passive relic of bygone times should therefore be put into perspective.”
Note that “genetically distinct groups” does not mean “cannot interbreed.”
It sounds as though these researchers were sent out to find evidence for coelacanth evolution (!). And didn’t, particularly. But the photo is nice.