Knowra Mawsonia Mawsonia Mawsonia is an extinct genus of large coelacanths known from Cretaceous rocks in Africa and South America. Its fossils show that coelacanths inhabited freshwater and coastal environments as well as the sea.
Coelacanth : A lobe-finned fish lineage distinguished by paired fins with internal skeletal supports and a distinctive second tail fin. Mawsonia belongs to this lineage, whose anatomy helps identify its fossils.
Gondwana : The ancient southern supercontinent that included Africa, South America, Antarctica, Australia, and India. Mawsonia fossils on both sides of the Atlantic inform reconstructions of Gondwanan connections.
Mawsonia gigas : A large species of Mawsonia known from Cretaceous fossil deposits in North Africa and Brazil. This species anchors the genus's reputation as a large Cretaceous coelacanth.
Latimeria : The only living genus of coelacanths, represented by species found in the western Indian Ocean and Indonesia. Unlike Mawsonia, Latimeria survives today and is known from modern marine habitats.
Sarcopterygii : The vertebrate group comprising lobe-finned fishes and their descendants, including tetrapods. Mawsonia was a sarcopterygian, with fleshy paired fins supported by bones.
Kem Kem Group : A sequence of Cretaceous rocks in Morocco preserving a rich assemblage of continental vertebrate fossils. Its deposits contain Mawsonia remains alongside other large aquatic and terrestrial animals.
Mawsonia lavocati : A species of Mawsonia described from Cretaceous deposits in Morocco. Its remains document the genus in the fossil-rich Kem Kem region.
Axelrodichthys : An extinct genus of Cretaceous coelacanths known from fossils in Africa and South America. It shared regions and geological intervals with Mawsonia but is classified as a separate genus.
Cretaceous : The geologic period from about 145 to 66 million years ago, ending with a mass extinction. Mawsonia lived during this period, across parts of its Early and Late epochs.
Bahariya Formation : A Cretaceous rock formation in Egypt known for fossils of dinosaurs and other vertebrates. Mawsonia fossils from this formation place the fish in an ancient North African ecosystem.
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