in 1938, a living prehistoric relic was discovered. A trawler docked in East London, South Africa with the usual catch of shark, ray and ratfish found something unusual: a huge purple fish that seemed to have limb-like appendages instead of fins.
The discovery of the coelacanth caused a sensation in the scientific world because it is the only living member of a very old group of fishes, the actinistians – sole survivors of a line of development that otherwise became extinct. From their anatomy, biochemistry, physiology and behaviour scientists can learn much about the processes of evolution.