This painting features a colorful portrait of a coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) in bright rainbow colors in a psychedelic style. It was painted with acrylics on an 11″ x 14″ wood panel, and finished in September 2023.

The coelacanth is a very unusual species of fish. They are known as lobe-finned fishes due to their unique limb-like fins. They are in a clade called Sarcopterygii, which includes both the coelacanth and lungfish. Ancient sarcopterygian fish are the direct ancestors of tetrapods (amphibians, reptiles/birds, and mammals). Coelacanths and lungfish are actually more closely related to tetrapods than to the ray-finned fish.

Coelacanths are an ancient lineage, with fossils dating back to as long ago as 410 million years ago. The coelacanth was believed to be extinct, known only from fossils, until 1938, when one was caught off the coast of South Africa. There are two species: the West Indian Ocean coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae), and the Indonesian coelacanth (Latimeria menadoensis). They are called living fossils since they have stayed relatively unchanged for hundreds of millions of years, and are the last remaining species of a lineage that had gone extinct.

Learn more about these amazing and unique fish on Wikipedia.

This unique psychedelic art of a rare fish is available in my online art stores. Please read below to learn more about what is in each store.

RebeccaWangArt.com is my main wall art print store. This artwork is available on paper giclee, canvas, wood, acrylic, and metal, with hundreds of options for framing. It is also available as tapestries, greeting cards, throw pillows, tote bags, duvet covers, fleece blankets, shower curtains, zipper pouches, beach and bath towels, jigsaw puzzles, and stickers.

It is also available in my RedBubble Store as apparel, gifts, home decor, and much more. I have a few select products in my Etsy Shop as well, including holographic stickers, puzzles, double sided minky blankets, and accent mugs.