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⬅ #79 barreleye #80 coelacanthNH-Icon-coelacanth #1 bitterling ➡


Coelacanth Gallery

"Blast from the past! I caught a coelacanth! Think positive! Be a coela-CAN!" —New Horizons

The coelacanth is an ultra rare ocean fish that has appeared in every main Animal Crossing series game. In Animal Forest, this was the only fish to exclusively appear in the ocean. Unlike any other fish in the series, the coelacanth can only appear when it is raining or snowing, and it is the only fish to spawn in this unique manner. In New Horizons, however, the Coelacanths do not naturally spawn while it is snowing. Despite the fact that it can rain on the island in New Leaf, it can't be caught there, although it can be caught on the island in Animal Crossing. It is one of the most valuable fish along with the dorado, golden trout, great white shark, and stringfish, selling for 15,000 Bells.

Donation to the museum[]

As with all fish caught in Animal Crossing series, the coelacanth can be donated to the museum by talking to Blathers.

In Animal Crossing[]

Blathers will say: "Hoo, my goodness! Glorious! Seen in this light, of course, it's quite a grotesque beast. And yet, it does have a certain peculiar allure, wot? You may rest assured that we shall treat it with much affection and respect, wot! My word as a gentleowl."

In Wild World[]

Blathers will comment: "It was once thought that the coelacanth had gone extinct, eh wot? Indeed, right up until a scholar saw them lined up in a market. Hoo hoo! That would clearly suggest that they are edible, don't you agree? Though I must admit, they don't look like they would taste very good.."

In City Folk[]

Blathers will say the following when given the coelacanth:

"Many years ago, the theory was that the coelacanth had gone extinct...But as it turns out, it still exists and has been living deep in the ocean this whole time, wot? Imagine! This fish has known the world since the dinosaurs... Perhaps it's the true master of the sea!"

In New Leaf[]

The description plate in the museum will say the following:

"Coelacanths are ancient fish once believed to be extinct but recently discovered around South Africa. Called "living fossils," they have apparently changed very little over the past 400 million years. They can live for over 60 years and reach lengths of six feet but have rather small brains, even for fish. They have more fins and harder scales than the average fish, making them a rather resilient breed. Their flavor is very different from most fish, and they contain a fat that is indigestible by humans. It's for that second reason that eating them really isn't highly recommended."

In New Horizons[]

Upon donation or selecting "Tell me more about this!", Blathers the curator will say:

"The coelacanth is a deep-sea fish that has been around since the age of the dinosaurs. They were long thought extinct, so when living specimens were discovered, it was quite a shock! Now I'll just have to figure out where in the museum to display it— fish or fossils!"

The coelacanth can be found in the front ocean fish exhibit, in the deep sea tank on the right side of the room, along with the barreleye, oarfish, and football fish.

Capture quotes[]

"WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT!! I caught a living fossil! I didn't know they really existed!" —Animal Crossing
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I caught a living fossil! Amazing! What are you doing down there?" —Wild World
"A coelacanth? I caught a living fossil! Amazing! Who knew these things were still around?" —City Folk
"Holy fish sticks! I caught a coelacanth! Am I saying it right?" —New Leaf
"Blast from the past! I caught a coelacanth! Think positive! Be a coela-CAN! " —New Horizons
Japanese Quotes

ギョギョォォ! 生きたカセキを 釣り上げた! すっげー! こんなのが いるのかーー!?」 —Animal Forest e+
ギョギョォォ?! 生きた化石を 釣り上げた! すっげー! こんなのが いるのかーー?!」 —Wild World and City Folk

"WH-WHOOOA! I caught a living fossil! Amazing—! Something like this exists——!?" (translation)

ギョギョォォ?! シーラカンスを 釣り上げた! こんなのが いるのかーー?!」 —New Leaf and New Horizons

"WH-WHOOOA! I caught a coelacanth! Something like this exists——!?" (translation)

Encyclopedia information[]

Wild World[]

Fish
Encyclopedia Information
Coelacanth (Wild World) "Nocturnal. Their fins look like feet. Unlike other fish, they crawl to swim."
Size 4.9 feet
Habitat Ocean
Season All year
Icon Coelacanth (Wild World icon)


City Folk[]

Fish
Encyclopedia Information
Coelacanth (City Folk)
"Called "living fossils," these can grow as big as people."
Size About 60 inches
Habitat Ocean
Season All year


New Leaf[]

Fish
Encyclopedia Information
Coelacanth new leaf
"Holy fish sticks! I caught a coelacanth! Am I saying it right?"
Size About 60 inches
Habitat Ocean
Season All year


New Horizons[]

Fish
Encyclopedia Information
NH-encyclopedia-Coelacanth
"Blast from the past! I caught a coelacanth! Think positive! Be a coela-CAN!"
Habitat Sea (Rainy Days)
Months active (north) All year
Months active (south) All year


Further information[]

CoelacanthIRL

A real-life coelacanth.

Main article: Coelacanth on Wikipedia

The West Indian Ocean coelacanth is a type of fish that was thought to have gone extinct long ago until it was rediscovered in 1938 off the coast of South Africa. It is considered to have evolved into its current form over 400 million years ago. They are large fish that can grow up to 1.8m in length. They are mostly active at night, between the depths of 100 and 500m, and feed mostly on fish that they come across. Whilst little remains known about the life of the coelacanth, they have been observed to have shark bite scars, suggesting they are prey to the large predators of the deep ocean.

Trivia[]

  • In City Folk, when the player gives Wendell a coelacanth, he will not take it from the player and will say "Oh! My mother told me not to eat these, so I'm going to have to give it back." He will then complain once again that he is hungry. This is due to the fact that the coelacanth is poisonous in real life, or due to its rarity and value.
  • In New Horizons, during thunderstorms coelacanth appearance rates may be increased.
  • A mounted coelacanth appears in the fossil exhibit of the museum in New Horizons, next to a mounted shark.
  • In New Horizons, coelacanths appear to be unable to spawn in snowy weather without the aid of fish bait or a big fish mystery island.

In other languages[]

Coelacanth
Language Name Translation
Japan Japanese シーラカンス Shīrakansu -
France French Cœlacanthe -
Spain Spanish Celacanto -
Germany German Quastenflosser -
Italy Italian Celacanto -
The Netherlands Dutch Coelacant -
Russia Russian Латимерия Latimeriya -
China Chinese 矛尾鱼/矛尾魚 Máowěiyú -
South Korea Korean 실러캔스 Silleokaenseu -



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