<i>Latimeria</i> , the Living Coelacanth, Is Ovoviviparous

Abstract

Dissection of a specimen of Latimeria chalumnae in the American Museum of Natural History revealed that it is a gravid female containing five advanced young, averaging 317.8 millimeters long. Each has a large yolk sac with no apparent connection to the surrounding oviducal wall. We conclude that Latimeria is ovoviviparous.