Living Fossil: The Story of the Coelacanth

by Keith S. Thomson

Book Overview

In the winter of 1938, a fishing boat by chance dragged from the Indian Ocean a fish thought extinct for 70 million years. It was a coelacanth, which thrived concurrently with dinosaurs and pterodactyls--an animal of major importance to those who study the history of vertebrate life.

Living Fossil describes the life and habitat of the coelcanth and what scientists have learned about it during fifty years of research. It is an exciting and very...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393308685
• ISBN13: 9780393308686
• Release Date: July 1992
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 254 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Very informative and wonderfully written but dated

Keith S. Thomson's book is truly a marvelous piece of scientific writing. It seamlessly integrates the stories of the eccentric personalities involved in first identifing and classifying the coelacanth, the odd history of coelacanth evolution and what we know about coelacanth physiology and behavior. "Living Fossil" is both meticulously researched and a joy to read. The only problem with Thomson's work is that the book was released in 1991 (at least the edition I've read), and in 1997 a new species of ceolacanth was found in Sulawesi, Indonesia (quite distant from the first species' habitat in the Comoros Islands!) The book is still a compelling read, but a more contemporary book is suggested for information on Latimeria menadoensis, the most recently discovered of the coelacanth species.

the dark itching

to be perfectly honest, i haven't exactly read this book. it matters not. and anyway, i just ordered the dang thing, so i'll read it soon enough. am i the only poor asshead in the world with a credit card, internet access, poor impulse control, and a fascination with ugly prehistoric fish?