They first appear in the Devonian, and survive to the present. One peculiarity of the group is a braincase built in front and rear halves, with a joint between the two units. The bones of its upper jaw were connected to the front part of the braincase. Coelacanths are close to the ancestor of four-legs animals. Whiteia is one of the most common fish at the Wapiti Lake site.
Specimens range in size from finger-length fish to individuals up to two meters in length.
Although the Triassic saw a great diversity of coelacanths, Whiteia is the only representative known from Wapiti Lake. Although an important component of modern marine communities, worms are rare as fossils due to their lack of hard body parts. In British Columbia's Burgess Shale, however, a variety of worms have been exquisitely preserved. Many of these fossils show muscle segments, outlines of the belly, and a variety of mysterious appendages. This document was prepared for the Royal Tyrrell Museum Cooperating Society.