Coelacanth

The coelacanth (pronounced ˈsiː.lə.kænθ, "see-luh-canth") is a sea fish in the that appears in all games. It appears year-round, under specific weather conditions. In, , , and , the coelacanth only appears when it is raining. In, , , and , the coelacanth can appear when it is either raining or snowing. The coelacanth is very rare and sells for 15,000 Bells; its rarity is noted by the player in the catch quotes for all games.

In
In, the coelacanth is the only saltwater fish. It is also available at different times (4 AM to 9 AM and 4 PM to 9 PM) than in or.

In, the coelacanth can only be encountered once per play session, even if the player fails to catch it. Saving and quitting and/or restarting the console will allow another encounter.

In
Although Critterpedia states that the coelacanth is available "all year," certain months of the year do not rain, so thus the coelacanth cannot be caught during those months.

Donating to the museum
As with all fish in the, the coelacanth can be donated to the museum, followed by a small talk by Blathers about it.

In

 * Once the coelacanth is donated, there is information on the board in front of the tank that houses it.

In
When donated, the coelacanth can be found in the north-eastern-most room of the fish exhibit, in the "sea" tank which is near the submersible and diving suit. It shares this tank with the barreleye, football fish, and oarfish.

Fishing Tourney
During a Fishing Tourney, when given a coelacanth, Chip will say the following dialogue.

Real-world information
The coelacanth is an ancient order of fish that was, for a long time, believed to be extinct, due to their disappearance from the fossil record 66 million years ago. The first ever live one was caught in 1938. It can grow up to two meters in length and lives for an average of forty-eight years. Coelacanths are found off the south coast of Africa, living in steep rocky shores, sheltering in caves during the day. It can travel around eight kilometers a night in search for food, passively swimming with the current, making it a "slow-moving" fish that only uses its fins to adjust its position. It preys on fish and squid, but some have been known to eat eels, skates, and even sharks. Its main predator is likely to be large sharks.

Trivia

 * In, if the player gives a coelacanth to Wendell, he refuses to take it, saying his mother told him to not eat them. This could be due to their rarity, or due to the fact that they are inedible fish in the real world.