The Rediscovery of the Coelacanth

In 1938, the coelacanth, a fish thought to have been extinct for 65 million years, was astonishingly rediscovered off the coast of South Africa by Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, a museum curator. Previously only known from fossils and believed to be a "dead branch" in the evolutionary tree, this "living fossil" was found alive, presenting a unique opportunity to study a creature that offered insights into the evolution of vertebrates. The coelacanth, named Latimeria chalumnae after Courtenay-Latimer, had survived unnoticed in deep-sea caves, which protected it from external threats and detection. This rediscovery challenged previous scientific assumptions, highlighted the limitations of the fossil record, and emphasized the need for conservation efforts to protect this critically endangered species and its habitat.