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A Fish Out of Time: The Search for the Coelacanth
Just before Christmas in 1938, the young woman curator of a small South African museum spotted a strange-looking fish on a trawler's deck. It was five feet long, with steel-blue scales, luminescent eyes and remarkable limb-like fins, unlike those of any fish she had ever seen. Determined to preserve her unusual find, she searched for days for a way to save it, but ended up...more
Hardcover, 240 pages
Published
April 5th 2000
by Harper
(first published 1999)
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Apr 05, 2009
Juha
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People interested in natural history, evolutionary biology, environment and, of course, fish.
This is both an educative and entertaining book about the search for a prehistoric fish. Long believed extinct, the Coelacanth was first discovered off the waters of South Africa in the Indian Ocean in 1938. Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer was a young curator at the East London museum when she recognized there was something odd in one of the fish brought to her by a fishing boat. She contacted J.L.B. Smith, a recognized scientist who would become obsessed with the living fossil--and would later name...more
Comoros. [Placeholder]
Weinberg describes the discovery of the coelacanth (or perhaps the "discovery," since the fishing communities knew it was there even if scientists didn't). The story is engagingly told and contributes to the reader's understanding of the historical and political context of the fish as well as its natural history. An easy and interesting book. Some reviewers have noted some inaccuracies; I can't speak to this, so caveat emptor.
Weinberg describes the discovery of the coelacanth (or perhaps the "discovery," since the fishing communities knew it was there even if scientists didn't). The story is engagingly told and contributes to the reader's understanding of the historical and political context of the fish as well as its natural history. An easy and interesting book. Some reviewers have noted some inaccuracies; I can't speak to this, so caveat emptor.
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Old Four Legs. While that may sound like someone leaving a pub run, it's really the affectionate name given to the Coelacanth, a fish thought to have been extinct until its mind-altering appearance in 1938. Since then, more have surfaced with their electrifying blue color and prehistoric everything else. They were supposed to be extinct! How amazing. Like Jurassic Park underwater.
I first became fascinated with this living fossil thanks to a National Geographic issue dedicated to this strange be...more
I first became fascinated with this living fossil thanks to a National Geographic issue dedicated to this strange be...more
This book was like a boy's (or girls) own adventure story. I just couldn't wait to see what would happen and I came to love those fish. I got so panicky thinking the fish would become extinct but just like all the other enthusiasts I wanted to find out more about how they lived and the only way to do that would cause the fish harm. It made me think about the whole conservation issue- maybe ignorance is bliss? Towards the end of the book when the author was talking about the 80's I found that the...more
This is not really about the coelacanth intself, but is, instead, about the men and women involved in first realizing what it was and what it meant when one was caught by fishermen in 1938, and about the quest to find out where they live and how they function. I suppose you could call it a modern history of the coelacanth, though a fairly shallow one. I would have liked more back story--information about the first coelacanth fossils found and what people thought about them when they were discove...more
This is what I look for in a book on a scholarly subject. The author handles the facts well, but is able to make the people involved come alive, allowing the reader to care about them. Weinberg's good writing makes the transitions from fact to biography in such a manner that you never feel disconnected from the story of the search. I found myself getting excited about the search and the trip to a far-away island to collect a specimen was almost daring-do. And amidst all of this publicity, concer...more
Aug 16, 2010
Andrew Sydlik
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
nonfiction-science
An exciting look at the history of the discovery of the coelacanth, from the first unexpected find off the coast of South Africa in the 1930s until the most recent findings, including conservation efforts and new scientific analysis.
Weinberg is not a scientist, and although there was enough discussion of the scientific points to make me happy, it is not overwhelming or too technical for the average reader. I found the story very engaging, and was surprised at all the politics and controversy tha...more
Weinberg is not a scientist, and although there was enough discussion of the scientific points to make me happy, it is not overwhelming or too technical for the average reader. I found the story very engaging, and was surprised at all the politics and controversy tha...more
May 05, 2011
Hayley Farr
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
san-francisco-bookshelf
In this piece Samantha Weinberg is able to take accounts from JLB Smith's classic "Old Fourlegs" as well as accounts from his family, from Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer and her family, and from a variety of modern sources to piece together an accurate portrayal of the discovery of the coelacanth, the search for a second specimen, and all that falls between then and now. For anyone unable to locate a copy of "Old Fourlegs" or wanting a more modern approach to the story, this piece is a must.
Apr 28, 2012
Scottsdale Public Library
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adult,
nonfiction
The fascinating story about the discovery of a dead coelacanth in South Africa and the ensuing battle among scientists, adventurers and countries to find a living specimen and research this possible “missing link” is brought to vivid life by Weinberg. Her portrayal of the personalities involved is masterful. - Lynn H. -
Great book! It is just as much about the fish as it is about the people that found it and what they did to protect it and learn about it. The website that is mentioned (dinofish.com) turns out to be a pretty interesting site. If you take the time to read the book take the time to go and check out the site.
This was a very interesting read. It is more a story about the people who discovered and described and hunted for the coelacanth than about the fish itself. The story was both exciting and informative and really peaked my interest in this fish which I first saw as a boy in visits to a local museum. This fish may have even played a role in determining my professional career - a fish pathologist!
Since when did all fish other than the coelacanth and sharks have only one dorsal fin?...in Appendix A under "Fins and Scales": "apart from sharks, all other fish have one dorsal fin only."
What about mullets (Mugilidae), drums (Sciaenidae), darters (Percidae), and a whole host of other fish that have two dorsal fins? Some of them might not be separated by a whole lot of space, but there's definitely two.
Could understand if it seemed like a typo, but this just seems to be an exaggeration of how s...more
What about mullets (Mugilidae), drums (Sciaenidae), darters (Percidae), and a whole host of other fish that have two dorsal fins? Some of them might not be separated by a whole lot of space, but there's definitely two.
Could understand if it seemed like a typo, but this just seems to be an exaggeration of how s...more
This was an interesting read but ultimately depressing. Why does humanity have to destroy creatures in the name of scientific discovery? Can't wait until everything is quantum and we can stop physically dissecting everything, which is ultimately pointless.
Sigh, I've been nuts for the coelacanth since grade school. Who can resist a rare fish who outlived the dinosaurs? Loved this book. Full of the stories of the folks who found it, studied it and tried to understand and protect it over the years since it was first "discovered".
Learned a lot from this book about I subject I knew nothing of - almost always a pleasure! Reasonably well-written and gave me a new window into the world of the naturalist's practical and political challenges.
Excellent book. The writing grabs you from the first page and reels you in (no pun intended). I'm not even a big fan of fish, but at times I couldn't put this down. I'd definitely be interested in reading more by this author on other subjects, as she made this one so accessible.
This book is a good reminder about how little we know about life in the ocean -- which may be a good thing, since as soon as science discovered the coelacanth, its existence became threatened by overfishing.
Very interesting book. Read it when I was younger then got the chance to see one in person at the Smithsonian 2 summers ago. I definitely recommend it for anyone interested in natural history.
Such a surprising book. After I finished I tried to think of how I could explain it to people, "it's a really interesting and fun book about the history of a fish..."? But it is.
This book was great! It was a well written nonfiction book on the Coelacanth. It is an inspirational read for any woman interested in science.
I can not write an unbiased review, because I am so taken with the idea of the coelacanth..
To quote the last sentence of the book... "a schoolchild, in response to the question posed in a German magazine article, 'Why is it worthwhile living this week?' replied that 'coelacanth still exist.'
I heartily agree.
To quote the last sentence of the book... "a schoolchild, in response to the question posed in a German magazine article, 'Why is it worthwhile living this week?' replied that 'coelacanth still exist.'
I heartily agree.
Sho gave 4 stars: SDMB recco: movingfinger "A very worthwhile book, and not just for the ichthyologically inclined. "
A wonderful and compelling narrative of men, women and a fish that was thought not to exist
A fascinating look into the history of the discovery of this amazing elusive fish!
Very interesting if you are interested in evolutionary biology.
Re-read after a decade. Still love the JLB White story.
I LOVE this book! An engaging science/history read.
This is a fascinating story! I thoroughly enjoyed it!
A re-read. Always a treat.
This book turned out to be terrific! There were a few slow spots, but it was a really good story with some really interesting characters. Not the least of which is the coelacanth itself.
It was so exciting to discover that the scientists had actual video footage of the fish. And so interesting to learn all the things we still don't know -- for example, how they eat and procreate.
It's a beautiful fish and to know it's survived 400 million years, well, it is just amazing.
It was so exciting to discover that the scientists had actual video footage of the fish. And so interesting to learn all the things we still don't know -- for example, how they eat and procreate.
It's a beautiful fish and to know it's survived 400 million years, well, it is just amazing.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| History, Medicine...: Join the discussion for A Fish Caught In Time | 7 | 19 | Oct 01, 2011 10:30pm | |
| Great African Reads: Jan/Feb: Comoros | "A Fish Caught in Time" | 13 | 51 | Mar 12, 2010 07:22pm |
