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13-09-2024, 09:49 PM
The coelacanth is an example of a “Lazarus taxon,” an animal that seemingly disappears from the fossil record only to be rediscovered in its same form millions of years later. This can happen for a number of reasons. More often than not, it highlights how sporadic and incomplete the fossil record is, especially when the number of individuals in a given taxon is low.
In the case of the coelacanth, the zoological community was upended in 1938 when a 32-year old museum employee, Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, working in the small South African town of East London, was presented with a fish that could not be identified. It was caught by a local fisherman while fishing just outside of the mouth of the Chalumna River on the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
Courtenay-Latimer couldn’t identify the fish either, so she had it taxidermied and sought out the opinion of an expert–Professor James Leonard Brierley Smith, a university lecturer and an expert in marine life. When Brierley Smith received Latimer’s sketch and notes on the unidentified fish by mail, he responded via telegram with a now famous message: “MOST IMPORTANT PRESERVE SKELETON AND GILLS = FISH DESCRIBED.”
Coelacanth Fish Skull on The Black Background
The ancient coelacanth, a lobe-finned fish, is a [+]“living fossil” in every sense of the term. Biologists believe this supreme survivor has undergone little change in 400 million years.
Prior to 1938, if you had asked a zoologist to name some of the oldest fish known to science, you’d probably hear about an oddly named lobe-fish, known as the coelacanth. The name itself sounds ancient. Coelacanths first evolved into existence during the early Devonian period, a little over 400 million years ago.
What zoologist not have told you is that ancient fish could still be found in ocean today, fact, they have chuckled at the idea. Scholars, prior to the coelacanth’s rediscovery in 1938, presumed that coelacanth had gone extinct during the late Cretaceous period, 65-70 million years ago.
Museum employee a rediscoverer of coelacanth, [+]Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, once described as "most beautiful fish I had ever seen. "Coelacanth is an example of a “Lazarus taxon,” an animal that seemingly disappears from fossil record only to be rediscovered in its same form millions of years later. This can happen for a number of reasons. More often not, it highlights how sporadic & incomplete fossil record is, especially when the number of individuals in a given taxon is low.
When Brierley Smith arrived in East London, he confirmed his hunch–the fish was indeed an ancient coelacanth. It was a discovery that sent shockwaves through the zoological community, earning both Brierley Smith and Courtenay-Latimer international recognition.
Interestingly, a second specimen wasn’t discovered for another 15 years. The second coelacanth was found in 1952 by two fishermen of the Comoro Islands–a small island chain nestled in between Madagascar and mainland Africa.
In the case of the coelacanth, the zoological community was upended in 1938 when a 32-year old museum employee, Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, working in the small South African town of East London, was presented with a fish that could not be identified. It was caught by a local fisherman while fishing just outside of the mouth of the Chalumna River on the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
Courtenay-Latimer couldn’t identify the fish either, so she had it taxidermied and sought out the opinion of an expert–Professor James Leonard Brierley Smith, a university lecturer and an expert in marine life. When Brierley Smith received Latimer’s sketch and notes on the unidentified fish by mail, he responded via telegram with a now famous message: “MOST IMPORTANT PRESERVE SKELETON AND GILLS = FISH DESCRIBED.”
Coelacanth Fish Skull on The Black Background
The ancient coelacanth, a lobe-finned fish, is a [+]“living fossil” in every sense of the term. Biologists believe this supreme survivor has undergone little change in 400 million years.
Prior to 1938, if you had asked a zoologist to name some of the oldest fish known to science, you’d probably hear about an oddly named lobe-fish, known as the coelacanth. The name itself sounds ancient. Coelacanths first evolved into existence during the early Devonian period, a little over 400 million years ago.
What zoologist not have told you is that ancient fish could still be found in ocean today, fact, they have chuckled at the idea. Scholars, prior to the coelacanth’s rediscovery in 1938, presumed that coelacanth had gone extinct during the late Cretaceous period, 65-70 million years ago.
Museum employee a rediscoverer of coelacanth, [+]Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, once described as "most beautiful fish I had ever seen. "Coelacanth is an example of a “Lazarus taxon,” an animal that seemingly disappears from fossil record only to be rediscovered in its same form millions of years later. This can happen for a number of reasons. More often not, it highlights how sporadic & incomplete fossil record is, especially when the number of individuals in a given taxon is low.
When Brierley Smith arrived in East London, he confirmed his hunch–the fish was indeed an ancient coelacanth. It was a discovery that sent shockwaves through the zoological community, earning both Brierley Smith and Courtenay-Latimer international recognition.
Interestingly, a second specimen wasn’t discovered for another 15 years. The second coelacanth was found in 1952 by two fishermen of the Comoro Islands–a small island chain nestled in between Madagascar and mainland Africa.
