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 fish, the Actinistians – sole survivors of a line of development that otherwise became extinct. Read more