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A Trawler Hauled Up A Blue Fish In 1938 That Science Believed Extinct For 65 Million Years
Yahoo • • science
Key Points:
- In 1938, Captain Hendrik Goosen caught a large, unusual blue fish near East London, South Africa, which was later identified as a coelacanth, a species believed extinct for 65 million years.
- Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, a museum curator, recognized the fish's uniqueness and contacted ichthyologist J.L.B. Smith, who confirmed it was a "living fossil" previously known only from fossils.
- The species was named Latimeria chalumnae, and subsequent discoveries from 1952 onwards confirmed a surviving population around the Comoro Islands.
- Although called a "living fossil" due to its ancient appearance, genetic studies reveal that the coelacanth's DNA has evolved significantly over millions of years, indicating ongoing adaptation despite its unchanged external form.
- Researchers emphasize that the coelacanth is a living organism with continuous genetic evolution, challenging the notion that it is a static relic from the past.
