Novel Defense Mechanisms in the Armor of the Scales of the “Living Fossil” Coelacanth Fish

Here, experiments and analysis revealing the unique defense mechanisms of the coelacanth, a lobe‐finned fish termed a “living fossil”, are reported, as it was considered to be extinct until 1938, but extant for 400 million years. This defense is provided by primitive elasmoid scales having a rare double‐twisted Bouligand structure of lamellae which provides extraordinary resistance to deformation without failure. Distinct from other elasmoid...