Rostral organ explained

The rostral organ of the coelacanth or similar in many other fish such as Anchovy is a large gel-filled cavity in the snout, with three pairs of canals to the outside.^[1]

It is surrounded by an insulating layer of adipose tissue and innervated by the superficial ophthalmic nerve. Its anatomy and innervation suggest it is an electroreceptive organ^[2] used for finding prey in the dark. This is supported by experiments which showed that coelacanths react to electrical fields produced by a submersible.

Notes and References

1. M.. Berquist, Rachel. L.. Galinsky, Vitaly. M.. Kajiura, Stephen. R.. Frank, Lawrence. The coelacanth rostral organ is a unique low-resolution electro-detector that facilitates the feeding strike. Scientific Reports. 2015 . en. 5. 8962 . 10.1038/srep08962. 25758410 . 4355723. 2015NatSR...5.8962B .
2. William E. . Bemis . Thomas E. . Hetherington . 1982 . The Rostal Organ of Latimeria chalumnae: Morphological Evidence of an Electroreceptive Function . Copeia . 1982 . 2 . 467–71 . 1444635 . 10.2307/1444635.