Sea Creatures 101: Living Fossils: The Quest For Coelacanth

The term "living fossil" seems a contradiction in terms. Fossils are remnants of organisms that we believe no longer exist. They're leftovers from a bygone era. In the past 200 years or so, live specimens of animals believed long extinct have been discovered. This month we begin a series on these "living fossils", and the stories behind the discoveries of these creatures.

The Coelacanth (pronounced see'-la-canth) is a mid-ocean dwelling (650 feet below sea level) fish believed to have become extinct millions of years ago. A naturalist named Louis Agassiz in 1839 identified the first known fossil of this fish. Agazziz was a firm believer in Charles Darwin's theory of Evolution but became a strong opponent of the theory. It may be that this first discovery made him re-think his position. The fish was named Coelacanth (for "lobe-finned"). It was named for its three-lobed tail and flipper-like pectoral fins.

Scientific study of the Coelacanth continued for almost 100 years. The belief was that this fish was extinct and could only be understood through rock fossils. Then came the 1930's. This era was to be the most exciting time in Coelacanth study. In 1937, an unnamed fisherman caught a live Coelacanth. The location is unknown, but it was probably around South Africa. The catch was noted but not well documented. The next catch, in 1938, was the one that made history.

December 21, 1938 was an average day of fishing for Captain Henrik Goosen. He and the crew were fishing off the South African coast near the Chalumna River. On his trawler, Nerine, was a great load of the day's catch. There were the usual fish and one VERY unusual fish. This fish had to be five feet long! It was a beautiful blue. Most fish die within minutes of leaving the water, but this one survived for several hours. It even snapped at his hand! Captain Goosen was almost sure that this fish was inedible, but maybe it was good for SOMETHING. When he got back to land, he put the fish aside for Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, the curator at the East London Museum. She was always interested in unusual fish.

Miss Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer was (and still is) a very dedicated biologist. That particular day was very busy for her and South Africa in December is still very hot, but she decided to go meet the ship's crew and wish them season's greetings. Captain Goosen showed her his odd catch. Commenting that the strange blue fish was "the most beautiful fish I'd ever seen", she purchased it from Captain Goosen and had him wrap it up to take back with her to the museum. She argued with her cabbie. He didn't want "that smelly thing" in his taxi. She won the argument and got it to the museum.

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