Discovery log

1938

The rediscovery of the coelacanth

In 1938, a coelacanth was caught off the coast of South Africa — a species believed extinct for 65 million years, alongside the dinosaurs. This rediscovery is now regarded as one of the greatest zoological discoveries of the 20th century.

Cœlacanthe photographié au large de Pumula, Afrique du Sud

At the heart of this discovery

Coelacanth

Latimeria chalumnae

Expedition markers

🌍 Ocean: Indian Ocean

Depths of the associated species

↓ Epipelagic zone↓ Mesopelagic zone

Associated species

Cœlacanthe photographié au large de Pumula, Afrique du Sud
Harmless

Coelacanth

Latimeria chalumnae

Coelacanth

Believed extinct for 65 million years, alongside the dinosaurs, until its spectacular rediscovery in 1938 off South Africa.

🌊 150–700 m

  • ⚡ Believed extinct for 65 million years until its rediscovery in 1938
  • ⚡ Fleshy fins that move like limbs, close to the ancestor of the first land vertebrates
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