Indonesian fisherman catches 'living fossil'

Posted on Tuesday, 22 May, 2007 | Comment icon

Image credit: Todd Huffman

An Indonesian fisherman hooked a rare coelacanth, a species once thought as extinct as dinosaurs, and briefly kept the "living fossil" alive in a quarantined pool. Justinus Lahama caught the four-foot, 110-pound fish early Saturday off Sulawesi island near Bunaken National Marine Park, which has some of the highest marine biodiversity in the world.

The fish died 17 hours later, an extraordinary survival time, marine biologist Lucky Lumingas said Sunday.

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Source: AOL News

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Recent comments on this story

#3 Posted by rosenrot on 22 May, 2007, 20:14

I want one!! I have a 750 gallon tank to house it in. plllllleeaassseee

#4 Posted by JayRob303 on 22 May, 2007, 20:18

The thing that I find most interesting, other than the fact that another one was caught, it the fact that the fish survived 17 hours in a shallow quarantine pool.

#5 Posted by Dark_Ambient on 23 May, 2007, 0:36

This is good evidence that a creature like the loch ness monster could actually exist.

#6 Posted by Dakotabre on 23 May, 2007, 1:04

I don't get it?.......If you do a google image search on the name of this fish, heaps of current pictures come up of them alive swimming in the ocean....But this article says they were thought to be extinct for 65 million years???

#7 Posted by Unreality on 23 May, 2007, 1:54

The coelacanth (pronounced SEE-la-kanth) was believed to be extinct for 65 million years until one was found in 1938 off Africa's coast, igniting worldwide interest. Several other specimens have since been discovered, including another off Sulawesi island in 1998. They were once thought to be extinct, but not anymore.

#8 Posted by jpjoe on 23 May, 2007, 2:03

These fishes are regularly caught in some remote areas. Locals just dont realize it.

#9 Posted by L33TNerd on 23 May, 2007, 3:07

Dark Ambient, I was just going to say the same thing...I find it incredible that people can so easily laugh at sighting of the loch ness monster when this thing is starting to be caught regularly. And aren't we still seeing brand new images of newly-discovered deep-sea life every day on this site? Those who so easily scoff at Nessie witnesses are terribly ignorant.

#10 Posted by SureFire on 28 May, 2007, 8:50

Yes, quite interesting. Really makes you think what if (about the Lochness)? And what are they going to pull up next from the ocean? I think its great how we've been on this earth, exploring and such, but yet we turn to space travel and exploration of other world before we even know ours fully.

#11 Posted by psyche101 on 1 June, 2007, 7:24

Hey NessieHAHAHAHA ROFL, LOL LOL SCOF SCOFFThis is neither a new discovery nor a dinosaur. Great to have a specimen to study, shame we had to kill it to do so.Interesting news. I would love to see one.

#12 Posted by Tejina on 5 July, 2007, 5:38

Gee... will the next big find be found... or find us.Please don't let it be a huge shark... I really don't wanna see some prehistoric looking shark on TV. *Huggles a cute little robot plushie*

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