“Coelacanths are lobe-finned fishes with a fossil record covering over 400 million years, representing an essential family tree for comprehending the advancement of vertebrate anatomy,” stated Professor Lionel Cavin, a paleontologist with the Natural History Museum of Geneva and the University of Geneva, and associates.

“Once believed extinct, they endure today as the genus Latimeriawith 2 acknowledged types.”

“Fossil coelacanths show within the body cavity a series of enigmatic big ossified plates set up in a tile-like pattern, confining an internal cavity presumed to have actually been gas-filled in life.”

In brand-new research study, the paleontologists analyzed lung and inner ear anatomy of Graulia branchiodonta and Loreleia eucingulata2 types coelacanths from the Middle Triassic of eastern France.

Utilizing a particle accelerator at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, they exposed an extremely unspoiled ossified lung, including wing-like bony structures at its extremity.

At the very same time, the research study of embryos of modern-day coelacanths highlighted a canal linking the organs of hearing and balance situated on either side of the skull.

By integrating these observations, the scientists recommend that these 2 structures formed a total sensory system.

Acoustic waves caught by the ossified lung would have been sent to the inner ears through this canal, making it possible for the animal to view noises undersea.

“Our hypothesis is based upon examples with contemporary freshwater fish such as carp or catfish,” stated Luigi Manuelli, a doctoral trainee at the Natural History Museum of Geneva and the University of Geneva.

“In these types, a structure called the Weberian device links the swim bladder to the inner ear.”

“This system enables them to discover undersea waves and for that reason hear undersea.”

“The air bubble consisted of in the swim bladder is vital for finding these waves, which would otherwise travel through the fish’s body unnoticed.”

“This acoustic capability was most likely slowly lost as the forefathers of contemporary coelacanths adjusted to deep marine environments. Their lung fell back, making this system unneeded,” Professor Cavin stated.

“Remarkably, some structures connected with the inner ear have actually nevertheless been maintained.”

“These physiological residues now offer important insight into the evolutionary history of these fish– and maybe likewise into that of our own water forefathers.”

The findings were released February 14, 2026 in the journal Communications Biology

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L. Manuelli et al2026. A double breathing and acoustic function for the coelacanth lung. Commun Biol 9, 400; doi: 10.1038/ s42003-026-09708-6