Loch Ness Outdone: Rediscovery of the Coelacanth

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  • čas přidán 3. 08. 2024
  • In 1938, a fisherman in South Africa caught a fish thought to have been extinct for more than fifty million years. The amazing discovery shocked and thrilled the world, challenged our understanding of species and evolution, and gave new meaning to the term "forgotten history." The History Guy remembers the Rediscovery of the Coelacanth.
    This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
    You can purchase the bow tie worn in this episode at The Tie Bar:
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    All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Non censuram.
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    The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered is the place to find short snippets of forgotten history from five to fifteen minutes long. If you like history too, this is the channel for you.
    Subscribe for more forgotten history: / @thehistoryguychannel .
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    Script by THG
    #history #thehistoryguy #coelacanth

Komentáře • 3K

  • @peteengard9966
    @peteengard9966 Před 3 lety +2657

    I remember reading about this fish. The article stated one south african fisherman saying. " What's the big deal? We've been catching them for years. Not good eating, too many bones. " I thought that was funny.

    • @Tom_Cruise_Missile
      @Tom_Cruise_Missile Před 3 lety +126

      Heh, that's always the best.

    • @JWMCMLXXX
      @JWMCMLXXX Před 3 lety +28

      Dubious

    • @jacobrohr5903
      @jacobrohr5903 Před 3 lety +13

      @@JWMCMLXXX stfu

    • @KaiFulci
      @KaiFulci Před 3 lety +3

      @Baconator Rodriguez lol you're a nerd

    • @larryhimes6224
      @larryhimes6224 Před 2 lety +89

      This is what I read in the encyclopedias in 1975 for my research into a Sophomore science report.on "The Fishes"! Led to my conversion to Christianity! :)

  • @Endymion766
    @Endymion766 Před 3 lety +790

    Modern Coelacanth tend to live in underwater caves and are nocturnal which is why they evaded detection for so long. I watched a doc where a diver found a cave with an entire colony of them living inside. They use those lobed fins to crawl along narrow passageways without getting stuck and can push themselves backwards if they need to. They rest in wedged in crevices where larger predators can't go during the day and come out to feed at night. I guess it's a good example of an adaptation originally designed to navigate swamps being repurposed to navigate narrow caves. It's kind of like they go spelunking every night.

    • @hillaryclinton2415
      @hillaryclinton2415 Před rokem +29

      Big mean predators that they collectively outlived.

    • @OldSkaterGuy
      @OldSkaterGuy Před rokem +16

      I remember that documentary, just as you described. It was a good watch.

    • @carlwalker3557
      @carlwalker3557 Před rokem +11

      Thanks for the info. - diver since ‘75 , appreciate knowing that. Better than bow tie there

    • @vxy357
      @vxy357 Před rokem +3

      What you just described reminds me of that scene from the movie "Piranha 3D".

    • @1MahaDas
      @1MahaDas Před rokem +11

      As I understand it, the Coelacanth evaded detection as it is a deep sea dweller. They live in depths more than two hundred feet below the ocean surface!

  • @CraftAero
    @CraftAero Před rokem +300

    Some time in the late 60's, our teacher had us cross out the lines about the "Coelacanth" being extinct in our text-books.
    I remember that quite well... then I questioned everything.

    • @susanduarte6888
      @susanduarte6888 Před rokem +41

      My mother remembers in high school her science teacher having the class cross out the sentence “the atom is the smallest particle of matter” ! This was about 1940.

    • @huascar66
      @huascar66 Před rokem +15

      Why would you question everything? It was an amazing discovery that the Coelacanth wasn't extinct, but it shouldn't have inspired such skepticism.

    • @dr.a.995
      @dr.a.995 Před rokem +5

      Amen to the poor “fossil fish.” May it outlive us!

    • @kuzadupa185
      @kuzadupa185 Před rokem +4

      Sounds like a really cool story. The teacher sounds like he/she couldnt wait to do it!

    • @schrisdellopoulos9244
      @schrisdellopoulos9244 Před rokem +24

      ​@@huascar66skepticism is healthy Slappy. It's not a negative trait. You're conflating it with pessimism genius😅

  • @thorny6021
    @thorny6021 Před rokem +215

    I was a member of the Army-Navy Mobile Riverine Force in Vietnam in 1967 operating in the mud and swamps of the Mekong Delta.
    We were often serenaded by lungfish mating calls during night ambush patrols and observed their tracks of shallow depressions in the mud from their sliding, fin-assisted travels from one waterway or canal to the next, sometimes quite a distance. We didn’t know what they were at the time, but we determined that as long as they were emitting their interesting call, there were no “bad guys” in our immediate areas. Our affectionate name for them, based on the sound of the call was “f*** you lizards.”

    • @KFlexFantastic
      @KFlexFantastic Před rokem +1

      Thank you for your service, I also really enjoyed this story, I think that’s so cool

    • @thisisntsergio1352
      @thisisntsergio1352 Před rokem +1

      Lmao I love this story.

    • @kevinfealy4769
      @kevinfealy4769 Před rokem +1

      I thought those were called Tokay lizards?😮

    • @Klaatu731
      @Klaatu731 Před rokem

      I have heard that same thing from people I knew.
      My cousin was killed two weeks before his tour of duty ended because his CO put him on ambush.

    • @beautyonabarnbudget
      @beautyonabarnbudget Před 10 měsíci

      What a great story! Most likely snakeheads though. And they are a bunch of bastard fish.

  • @carolinem.4330
    @carolinem.4330 Před 3 lety +464

    “Now I can die happy where I have lived to see the great American public excited about fish.”
    Best statement ever

    • @kman-mi7su
      @kman-mi7su Před rokem +16

      I get excited about fish, usually after they've been fried and a little hot sauce has been sprinkled on them.

    • @davebauman4991
      @davebauman4991 Před rokem +5

      When will we see an animated Coelacanth movie? Finding Nemo + Ice Age + Little Mermaid + Lion King?

    • @gaoxiaen1
      @gaoxiaen1 Před rokem +3

      @@davebauman4991 The Lionfish King.

  • @ZeroGravityFloater
    @ZeroGravityFloater Před 3 lety +1283

    Fishstory that deserves to be remembered.

    • @camg6400
      @camg6400 Před 3 lety +18

      My eyes rolled so hard I pulled a muscle. Good job.

    • @LeeryMuscrat
      @LeeryMuscrat Před 3 lety +33

      This comment holds water for sure.

    • @arnepianocanada
      @arnepianocanada Před 3 lety +4

      🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

    • @nameinvalid69
      @nameinvalid69 Před 3 lety +3

      (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

    • @WilliamRWarrenJr
      @WilliamRWarrenJr Před 3 lety +13

      "There was something fishy about the Historian ... I suspect he was a Pisces, probably working for scale ..."

  • @chairde
    @chairde Před 2 lety +224

    This story has been repeated many times over the internet. As someone who lives near the ocean I truly believe that there can be many things in the deep blue waters that will shock us all.

    • @arizona_anime_fan
      @arizona_anime_fan Před rokem +7

      there is a fascinating mathematician who has applied mathematics to the ocean and has come up with an interesting conclusion. his conclusion was that there were exactly 5 undiscovered "giant" creatures in the ocean remaining. now his definition of giant is a bit unimpressive. he's talking about something 5' long or bigger and over 200kg in mass. still that's a large creature to remain undiscovered.

    • @bertplank8011
      @bertplank8011 Před rokem

      Like the Bidenbrain a member of the coral family.. ...a primitive creature able to change shape according to the surrounding environment.

    • @cedricgist7614
      @cedricgist7614 Před rokem +4

      Is it only 2% of the oceans that have been explored? And they're not even talking about freshwater lakes. Sometimes, for all our supposed learning, we must be reminded that there is a universe of knowledge that still escapes us, and we probably don't know what we think we know. I had a minister friend who often referred to "what we think we know...."

    • @flashwashington2735
      @flashwashington2735 Před rokem +1

      Like electric eels! Huh?

    • @mikezimmermann89
      @mikezimmermann89 Před rokem +2

      Agreed! There are so many places to “hide” in the ocean… and so many ways.

  • @ant-1382
    @ant-1382 Před rokem +4

    First heard about this when I as just a kid. 50 years ago! Got to see one in formaldehyde when I was in my 20's. Now we no so much more about them. Just facinating.

  • @dirtcop11
    @dirtcop11 Před 3 lety +925

    This story shows that what we actually 'know' is dwarfed by what we don't know.

    • @DudeInOhio85
      @DudeInOhio85 Před 3 lety +87

      What's does this have to do with science versus religion lol? Are you saying religious people don't believe in science? Lmao. That's just ignorant. Science and religion are not enemies. You're lost my friend.

    • @Angel268201
      @Angel268201 Před 3 lety +11

      Thats what science is all about. Discovery and documentation. The manipulation of the natural world is technology. Science is beautiful, Technology is not.

    • @wholeNwon
      @wholeNwon Před 3 lety +19

      @@DudeInOhio85 Then you're saying that religions have evolved. I agree, that's largely true; and, reflects their desire to survive.

    • @wholeNwon
      @wholeNwon Před 3 lety +2

      It was ever thus. I suspect it will "always" be true.

    • @p4nnus
      @p4nnus Před 3 lety +17

      @@DudeInOhio85 You should realize, that science is not belief based. You dont believe in it. Just wanted to clear that out for you.

  • @christopherbrochu7492
    @christopherbrochu7492 Před 3 lety +127

    My understanding is that coelacanths are rare of the coast of mainland Africa, which is why it took so long to find another specimen after the first one was caught in 1938. They're more common off the Comoros, and when they were first identified there by Western scientists, the local fishermen said they caught them all the time, but always threw them back because they taste awful.

    • @rhuephus
      @rhuephus Před 2 lety +13

      ha ha ... That's why they survived so long ... not edible (at least not by humans)

    • @salvagemonster3612
      @salvagemonster3612 Před rokem +2

      I also believe the found a new subspecies in the Indian Ocean. They tend to be found hanging around underwater vents. Producing heat in the depths.

    • @Corvus_Clemmons
      @Corvus_Clemmons Před rokem +3

      ⁠@@salvagemonster3612No the original species found was a Latimeria chalumnae aka West Indian/African coelacanth, the other species Latimeria menadoensis aka the Indonesian Coelacanth was the more recently discovered species, also neither of them are subspecies they are just species.

  • @Apollo_Blaze
    @Apollo_Blaze Před 3 měsíci +3

    I am happy that it sounds like people have been leaving these beautiful creatures alone. I hope so much they keep going.

  • @mikepellegatti9717
    @mikepellegatti9717 Před 2 lety +106

    I remember learning of the Coelacanth fish in the fourth grade (1961) when I received these animal/dinosaur/wildlife informational cards that I subscribed to that I received in the mail as a kid. Totally fascinated by this and the dinosaurs. They were a big deal back then, too.

    • @bogtrottername7001
      @bogtrottername7001 Před 2 lety +3

      I think that was the same organization I subscribed to about then - My interest was archaeology ( they offered an arrowhead if you subscribed ! ).
      Spent my career as a contractor ------- but I still collect stone tools ------------------- ( beware of FAKES on E bay )
      Now I'm 72 & all natural history still fascinates .
      Lets hope we don't destroy it all.

    • @typacsk
      @typacsk Před rokem +1

      I think I first heard of it in the "Extinct Animal Alphabet Book" -- its entry had a little note along the lines of "Wait, this species wasn't extinct after all!", so they followed it up with another "C" species ;)

  • @russellmcphee72
    @russellmcphee72 Před 3 lety +277

    I met Dr Smiths daughter on a school trip in the early 1980`s at the museum. She kept on with her fathers work and we saw the specimens. It was the only day that I remember of that school tour.

    • @paulqueripel3493
      @paulqueripel3493 Před 3 lety +1

      JLB Smith had a nature reserve in Knysna, the Featherbed reserve. Later run by his son.

    • @russellmcphee72
      @russellmcphee72 Před 3 lety

      @@paulqueripel3493 I was 11 years old, it was probably his wife Prof. Margaret Smith. She was pretty old so if she was alive in 1983 then it was her. So correction. Should I correct it on the OP?

    • @paulqueripel3493
      @paulqueripel3493 Před 3 lety +4

      @@russellmcphee72 I wasn't trying to correct you, I had no idea if he had a daughter until I looked it up on Wikipedia (no mention of one) about a minute ago. Just knew his son ran the reserve when I went
      there sometime in the 2000s.

  • @dbmail545
    @dbmail545 Před 3 lety +277

    "Not a missing link but an unexpected loop of chain" Pure gold, Josh.

    • @Vykk_Draygo
      @Vykk_Draygo Před 3 lety +9

      I think you mean: not so much a missing link as an interesting bit of extra chain.

    • @flagmichael
      @flagmichael Před 3 lety +3

      It is a fascinating metaphor. Sometimes I think we try to hard to understand everything about nature, and try not to think that some of it just might be beyond human understanding. There are a few pieces of natural science that I have to set aside and look for other pieces that can make it understandable. We do that with jigsaw puzzles, after all.

    • @Farweasel
      @Farweasel Před 3 lety

      @@flagmichael Don't quite your present job for a career in science.

    • @aaronaragon7838
      @aaronaragon7838 Před 3 lety

      Reserve your plot today, Hannity.

    • @quest4050
      @quest4050 Před 3 lety +3

      @@Vykk_Draygo Not a missing link but NO missing link. God is all.

  • @a.z.pantera5577
    @a.z.pantera5577 Před 3 lety +284

    I actually learned about the Coelacanth after playing Pokemon and seeing the aptly named, Relicanth. This also played a part in my interest in marine biology and frequenting aquariums when I was younger. Still remains one of my favorite animals. :)

    • @Agent_OB
      @Agent_OB Před 3 lety +14

      Same bro cept I ended up in CS because of gaming

    • @salvagemonster3612
      @salvagemonster3612 Před rokem +3

      I learned about it in a book. Huh go figure

    • @savage22bolt32
      @savage22bolt32 Před rokem +4

      My friend told me about coelacanth in 7th grade, back in 1967.

    • @rays7437
      @rays7437 Před rokem +7

      I knew about it from somewhere but sort of forgot about it until a Relicanth nearly wiped out my party. I caught it, finally, and nicknamed it, "Superfish."

    • @OceanBloke
      @OceanBloke Před rokem +3

      ​@@rays7437I spent days hunting relicanth, don't think I ever found one lol

  • @ericmesser1
    @ericmesser1 Před 3 lety +7

    I went in to East London in 1966 as an apprentice on a Clan Line ship……the Captain, knowing my interest in all things fishy, took me to the EL museum to meet Ms.Courtney Latimer. What a wonderful lady………she was so welcoming……..I have never forgotten her. Great story…..thanks.

  • @randmayfield5695
    @randmayfield5695 Před 3 lety +125

    I was just a kid growing up in San Diego and had a National Geographic magazine that featured the Coelanth article. On top that, one of our neighbors worked at Scripps as a research assistant and on occasion would take me to work with her. Strangely enough that experience catalyzed me into becoming an Icthyologist and it has been my life long passion. Just a little "seed of curiosity" and the kindness of a neighbor was all it took.

    • @GasketManzrevenge
      @GasketManzrevenge Před rokem +7

      "Just a little "seed of curiosity" and the kindness of a neighbor was all it took."
      That is all that's needed. It's what got me hooked on all things mechanical, which expanded into metallurgy and fabrication.. I really do miss watching Indy and F1 with my grandma.. that was close to 50 years ago.. yes, gramma was a motor head.
      Mom used to say "the day is lost lest something new is learned".

    • @cedricgist7614
      @cedricgist7614 Před rokem +5

      You know, a lot of folk would think your passion and the work you do in following it isn't a great contribution to the World. I'm thankful you have the opportunity to work at your passion. It is a gift from God.
      My younger brother was a history major for two years I believe, then made an assessment of his life, joined the Navy and became an electrician. I've always respected his decision - but I've secretly longed that he would revisit the field he once chose. I was in the Navy for two years - officer training - and his field was called a "bull major." Engineering and technology were the main focus where I went.
      I developed my ,"one more good one," attitude at that time. In our society, certain pursuits are more valued than others and certain fields are flooded by folk who got into them for the money only. But my attitude is, that in every field, we can use one more good one - historian, ichthyologist, doctor, lawyer, nurse, custodian, sanitation worker, politician. We can always use one more individual passionate about the work they do and empathetic to the folk they encounter. You're one of them. Carry on!

    • @angusclark8330
      @angusclark8330 Před rokem +1

      Joy.

    • @kevinarchbold3704
      @kevinarchbold3704 Před rokem

      There was one in the museum in Sydney when I was younger,, absolutely fascinating

    • @poofygoof
      @poofygoof Před rokem +2

      I remember a preserved coelocanth (in formaldehyde?) at scripps aquarium when I was a kid in the 80s, I wonder if they still have it on display? it wasn't in great shape, and always made me feel a little sad.

  • @georgemckenna462
    @georgemckenna462 Před 3 lety +302

    I remember this BIG news of the captured Coelacanth happening when I was in grade school. The possibility of catching your very own dinosaur... why anything was possible!

    • @phapnui
      @phapnui Před 3 lety +6

      You must be over 100 years old by now. How does it feel to be a fossil?

    • @swingrfd
      @swingrfd Před 3 lety +17

      Yes. I entered grade school in 1955 and upon being taught about Coelacanth immediately became suspicious of all the creation malarkey I was also being fed.

    • @garyacker7388
      @garyacker7388 Před 3 lety +5

      @@swingrfd yup I was in gradeschool also.

    • @phapnui
      @phapnui Před 3 lety +7

      @@swingrfd About 5th grade I was a god botherer in training during the summer vacation and I properly read the bible several times to prepare for questions. Parents who have their children read the bible never read it themselves, otherwise they'd wait until the kids were 18. BTW, you remember what Isaac Asimov said about a properly read bible...

    • @77thTrombone
      @77thTrombone Před 3 lety +11

      @@phapnui As a 30-year atheist who returned to Christianity, I contend that religious fundamentalists are the most potent force for atheism. Anyone who skews what we see will certainly skew what is less obvious, too.

  • @hansspiegl8684
    @hansspiegl8684 Před 3 lety +1

    Wonderful episode! Thank you for your work!

  • @firewaterforgeofarizona4304

    Mr. THG, watching your videos gives me an enjoyable moment in the day. Thank you for posting them.

  • @linnharamis1496
    @linnharamis1496 Před 3 lety +116

    Because of old photos, I did not realize that the fish had that beautiful blue color. Thanks for doing this segment📸👍

    • @Henry-fx4yk
      @Henry-fx4yk Před 3 lety +4

      Same here the color is amazing! What other dinosaurs will turn out to have brilliant colors?

    • @huntermcclovio4517
      @huntermcclovio4517 Před 3 lety +7

      @@Henry-fx4yk I wonder if the color is due to the fact that it was a male fish, to attract the female. and also how long do these fish really live? 80 years, 100 years...?

    • @robinrodriguez480
      @robinrodriguez480 Před 3 lety +4

      @@huntermcclovio4517 -Hmmm thats a good question ???

    • @ThomasJones-ij6hv
      @ThomasJones-ij6hv Před rokem +1

      @@huntermcclovio4517 apparently 50k years,😂

    • @shelbyseelbach9568
      @shelbyseelbach9568 Před rokem +3

      @@Henry-fx4yk This ISN'T a dinosaur, it IS a fish. LMFAO!

  • @geodeaholicm4889
    @geodeaholicm4889 Před 3 lety +50

    i am a geologist, i carry a 2 inch bronze casting of a coelacanth on my keyring, i think the coelacanth's story is 1 of the coolest in science. excellent vid.

  • @hodgeelmwood8677
    @hodgeelmwood8677 Před rokem +5

    The coelacanth has been one of my favorite creatures since I first learned of them way back in grade school in the 60s. Lovely to hear more about them. Thank you!

  • @TheHasazin
    @TheHasazin Před 3 lety +45

    A correction, the fisherman caught a fish from a "order" (a Taxonomic rank) that was thought to be extinct not simply a species. This is an important distinction as the species that was found is not one from the fossil record but a new species within the same order Coelacanthiformes and thuse related to the extinct fossil record family, genus, and species in that order. A prehistoric fish is not what was found but a modern relative of that order, though to have gone extinct.

    • @shamrock5725
      @shamrock5725 Před rokem +4

      Very astute and important indeed.

    • @NelsonZAPTM
      @NelsonZAPTM Před 11 měsíci

      ...so the fish that was caught wasn't 50 million years old?

    • @DumbArse
      @DumbArse Před 11 měsíci

      Well duuuuh

  • @Squossifrage
    @Squossifrage Před 3 lety +726

    Humans: “coelacanths are extinct”
    Coelacanths: “no we're not”
    Humans: *crack knuckles* “challenge accepted”

    • @Smokeyr67
      @Smokeyr67 Před 3 lety +26

      @Goth Vaush - Jedi Master Engineer nice random, irrelevant and uneducated comment, congrats

    • @killbot1974
      @killbot1974 Před 3 lety +19

      @Goth Vaush - Jedi Master Engineer Pickle fish, wombat. Margarine hat

    • @RealStuntPanda
      @RealStuntPanda Před 3 lety +21

      @Goth Vaush - Jedi Master Engineer Religion mixed with insanity is a hell of a drug and you're high AF.

    • @Three_Random_Words
      @Three_Random_Words Před 3 lety +14

      I think he's speaking a dialect of QAnonese.
      edit - spelt correction

    • @tankacebo9128
      @tankacebo9128 Před 3 lety +3

      I've heard some WEIRD shit outta china, but this one takes the cake.

  • @toastybutterscones1932
    @toastybutterscones1932 Před 3 lety +58

    I remember getting a version of this story during a school field trip to the East London Museum. I grew up in that town.

  • @janerainsford8996
    @janerainsford8996 Před rokem +2

    Love your channel. You are so fun to watch. You’ve got great positive energy! I’m in love with American History.

  • @robote7679
    @robote7679 Před 3 lety +2

    This was fascinating and fantastic. Thankyou for sharing your insights and research.

  • @theuglybiker
    @theuglybiker Před 3 lety +53

    Many parallels between this fish and the Wollemi Pine which was thought to have gone extinct about the same time but a few small groves were discovered in Australia back in the mid 90's.

    • @chrispeck1325
      @chrispeck1325 Před 3 lety +6

      There have been quite a few "extinct" creatures found recently, there's even a show on this subject. They are trying to get proof of the Tasmania tiger.

    • @glenchapman3899
      @glenchapman3899 Před 3 lety +11

      And the funny thing. The tree is amazingly easy to cultivate. You can buy it all over the place now.

    • @jandrews6254
      @jandrews6254 Před 3 lety +2

      @@chrispeck1325 as a recent resident of Tasmania, I hope the continued existence of the thylacine can be proved. And that it can be protected, if and when.
      Certainly, even though Tasmania is a tiny place with a tiny human population, its wilderness is massive, rugged and densely forested, so you’d think there’d be plenty of room for a population of not so big creatures to hide themselves, having learned what their discovery would lead to.

    • @jesjes5255
      @jesjes5255 Před 3 lety

      you can buy Wollemi pine pot plants at Bunnings. Each has a registration tag.

    • @ro4eva
      @ro4eva Před 2 lety +2

      @@jandrews6254 -- Based on the sightings caught on camera that I've seen, I am 99.9% certain that Tasmanian Tigers are not extinct. Granted, there's probably very few left, but I digress. I just hope, if they are rediscovered, that there is ZERO-POINT-ZERO TOLERANCE for any selfish pricks who want to hunt them.

  • @jonathanorozco3244
    @jonathanorozco3244 Před 3 lety +116

    Nothing scares people who desire to study rare species like the term “Chinese medicine"

    • @cesarrangel546
      @cesarrangel546 Před 3 lety +10

      Wym my dragon bone tea cured my lumbago

    • @cartmanrlsusall
      @cartmanrlsusall Před 2 lety +10

      Tokyo fish market is the best place to find new or rare fish species

    • @Smokey298
      @Smokey298 Před 2 lety +12

      @@cartmanrlsusall or a Wuhan lab

    • @richardvilseck
      @richardvilseck Před rokem +12

      Yeah. It’s frightening to think that a people who have hunted tigers and bears to extinction for their “medicinal” properties are most likely going to be in charge some day soon.

    • @leonieromanes7265
      @leonieromanes7265 Před rokem +7

      Nothing scares virologists more than the term "wet market"

  • @pooryorick831
    @pooryorick831 Před rokem +4

    I so enjoy these. Lance, you are a terrific storyteller and I would love to tour the artifacts behind you on your set. Excellent story!

  • @LoveTravelUSA-ps5mb
    @LoveTravelUSA-ps5mb Před rokem

    This "History Guy" is great. Very well spoken and on the spot explanations that everybody can understand.

  • @johnlamp820
    @johnlamp820 Před 3 lety +80

    As a native South African, this is a familiar story. Still when you tell it, I have to listen again :) And BTW great to see a number of South African inspired HTDTBR segments, thanks THG.

    • @patfromamboy
      @patfromamboy Před rokem +3

      I visited KZN 20 years ago and stayed with a family near Durban. It’s an amazing country. The people were very friendly.

  • @kaiyack
    @kaiyack Před 3 lety +56

    Morning Coffee and a video from The History Guy....my Friday morning is now complete.

  • @stevedawson7649
    @stevedawson7649 Před rokem +4

    Fantastic show. I remember hearing about this as a child and having no idea what the implications were until recent decades. Well done.

  • @kevinwessels4810
    @kevinwessels4810 Před rokem

    Always loved the Coelacanth, and I liked the way you presented everything and told the story. Glad I found your channel, this video was a good introduction.

  • @jeffreyholdeman3042
    @jeffreyholdeman3042 Před 3 lety +107

    I consider myself a ‘history buff’ and enjoy consuming information usually in my areas of interest (15c English and continental warfare and WWII). That said, it is a testimony to the research and delivery of the History Guy that he rivets all of us to the screen of our devices even when the topics are not necessarily anything we ‘thought’ were interested in. Well played as always.

    • @jeffreyholdeman3042
      @jeffreyholdeman3042 Před 3 lety

      @@MC-mn8cz give the ‘beach boy’ my best! I wanted savannah badly but got saddled with Benning.
      RLTW

    • @Russia-bullies
      @Russia-bullies Před 3 lety

      I’m a historian that likes military history & would advice you to search for “operation Exporter”,”operation Countenance” & “the 1941 Anglo-Iraqi War” at wikipedia.org,if you aren’t familiar with the subjects.The web sites’ page on the battle of the Atlantic is also good.

    • @TNRonin
      @TNRonin Před 3 lety

      I was C 1/509 ABCT.

    • @jeffwalther3935
      @jeffwalther3935 Před 3 lety

      @@Russia-bullies Why are these "operations and this "war"? You don't say. Are you a professional historian, concerned with objectivity and truth, like scientists OR do you have "an axe to grind", (sharpen)? Please include WHY you suggest or advise ANYTHING; liking "military history" does NOT make one an historian any more than liking medicine makes one a physician, sports, an athlete, games, a sportsperson, religion, devout, the water, a swimmer, etc.. What such omission shows is posing, posturing, and/or pander, and probably worse, imho.

    • @larryscarr3897
      @larryscarr3897 Před 2 lety

      History guy, will tell us the history, but what we learn is, our interests are much wider then even we had anticipated...

  • @Angel268201
    @Angel268201 Před 3 lety +64

    I studied marine science a long time ago. During H.S., a coelacanth was caught off Rockaway Beach. This was between 1976-1980. It was fascinating to read about it at the time.

    • @larsrons7937
      @larsrons7937 Před 2 lety +6

      Rockaway Beach? That was far from its presumed habitat in the western part of the Indian Ocean. But I believe you.
      In Dec. 2004 the day after the tsunami I saw a brown Coelacanth at the Similan Islands w. of Thailand thousands of km's from its presumed only natural habitat in Eastern Indonesia.

    • @lamarravery4094
      @lamarravery4094 Před rokem +2

      There's a Rockaway Beach in Oregon, that's probably not the one you're talking about.

    • @richardyoung1890
      @richardyoung1890 Před rokem +2

      Rockaway Beach enjoyed many summers at that beach and Rockaways Playland!Started going there with my friends on the subway which turned into the el after leaving Queens.We we’re in our early teens great memories.

  • @shaunmcdaniels2460
    @shaunmcdaniels2460 Před rokem +1

    You always have very good videos!!! Thank you…

  • @mazrad11
    @mazrad11 Před 2 lety

    I love that you just jump right in again.. there was a while where you talked about sponsors and stuff.. I think it was brilliant the way you did that.. Caught me right away...
    happy your back to that..

  • @eypick6987
    @eypick6987 Před 3 lety +163

    Natural history deserves to be remembered

    • @Russia-bullies
      @Russia-bullies Před 3 lety +4

      & preserved.

    • @jeremiahfyan
      @jeremiahfyan Před 3 lety +1

      @@Russia-bullies Preserved/ Conserved. Natural is a renewable resource to an extent, and not using it at all can wipe it out

  • @paulpeterson4216
    @paulpeterson4216 Před 3 lety +26

    Back in the early '70s I got to see an actual Coelacanth in person. It was being disected at the Field Museum in Chicago, on a Members night.

  • @derekpowell421
    @derekpowell421 Před rokem

    excellent and captivating mini documentary....was a pleasure to watch....

  • @NikonPhotoHawk
    @NikonPhotoHawk Před rokem +6

    I found this historically as well as scientifically facilitating! Fabulous piece of work.
    Best wishes,
    George

  • @coen226
    @coen226 Před 3 lety +42

    I friggin love this guy! Always great info & love the story telling

    • @SandyzSerious
      @SandyzSerious Před 3 lety +6

      Yes, he's amazing.

    • @oilersridersbluejays
      @oilersridersbluejays Před 2 lety

      History Guy and the guys like Indy Neidel who cover The Great War and Second World War are easily the best CZcamsrs.

  • @otpyrcralphpierre1742
    @otpyrcralphpierre1742 Před 3 lety +106

    Rumors of this "extinct" fish were thought to be a "Red Herring".
    Bada-bump, tish!

    • @Pynaegan
      @Pynaegan Před 3 lety +3

      Not to mention "greatly exaggerated".(to paraphrase Mark Twain)

    • @Russia-bullies
      @Russia-bullies Před 3 lety +4

      Coelacanth:”Pls,continue to refer to my species as red herrings,as we need to be left alone.”

    • @swingrfd
      @swingrfd Před 3 lety +1

      Nicely done.

    • @dylanhester4194
      @dylanhester4194 Před 3 lety +5

      Idk there’s something fishy about all this.

    • @Iamrightyouarewrong
      @Iamrightyouarewrong Před 3 lety +3

      Phishing for likes?

  • @williamv9058
    @williamv9058 Před rokem +1

    this came up on my playlist on youtube today. As an aquarium hobbyist I found this very interesting. thank you for this video.

  • @nostreamavailable9090
    @nostreamavailable9090 Před 11 měsíci +1

    l just want to take a second to thank you mate for the way you give us an education on all manner of subjects but you do it with a sincerity that makes it easier to absorb the information, too many historians just spew out facts and statistics verbatim with no personality.
    Thanks for adding a lovely personal touch of entertainment to the information and making it a pleasure to receive 🙏🏻
    god bless you and yours and best wishes from the north west of england
    Jay 🙏🏻

  • @michaelwills1926
    @michaelwills1926 Před 3 lety +20

    You sir are what history channel once was. 👏🏼🤟🏼

  • @WAL_DC-6B
    @WAL_DC-6B Před 3 lety +48

    I remember hearing about the coelacanth discovery way back in the 1960s when I was a kid.

  • @stevemolina8801
    @stevemolina8801 Před 2 lety

    Man I just love your stuff, Thank you!

  • @Yhoshua_B
    @Yhoshua_B Před 11 měsíci

    Thank you for sharing this!

  • @JDnBeastlet
    @JDnBeastlet Před 3 lety +33

    I remember reading about the Coelacanth in National Geographic as a teenager. Very interested to hear the whole story. Thanks, THG!

    • @peternorton5648
      @peternorton5648 Před rokem +3

      Wow! Not a term you hear very often anymore “ I read about this in National Geographic.” It’s good to read it and I brings back many memories from my younger years.

  • @dbmail545
    @dbmail545 Před 3 lety +74

    I have yet to hear THG narrate a "clunker" but this one speaks to my life-long interest in the natural world.

    • @Mr.CliffysWorld
      @Mr.CliffysWorld Před 3 lety +10

      The History Guy doesn't do clunkers !!

    • @guymandude999
      @guymandude999 Před 3 lety

      No disrespect, but does your wife's boyfriend let you watch them, or you just go do your own thing

  • @jimhughes1070
    @jimhughes1070 Před rokem

    Love your channel for years now brother

  • @jamesherrington5606
    @jamesherrington5606 Před rokem

    Thank you for posting this. I grew up with some very smart kids with very smart parents who told us this and many other smart stories.

  • @shannonwittman950
    @shannonwittman950 Před 3 lety +3

    As usual, a fascinating and well researched episode! Thank you for them all, History Guy!

  • @john2244
    @john2244 Před 3 lety +36

    Greetings from East London South Africa. This discovery impacts our town to this day and is forever woven into the fabric of our culture and surroundings with for example Larimer's landing in the harbour and the Coelacanth Café, the displays in the local Museum, Latimer street and so on.

    • @rupertmcnaughtdavis3649
      @rupertmcnaughtdavis3649 Před 2 lety

      Not to forget Chalumna.

    • @nerdyali4154
      @nerdyali4154 Před rokem +1

      The museum is one of the best memories I have of East London from my early childhood. Left E.L in the early seventies and went back in about 2008. Sadly, my expectation of decay was not misplaced, as is true for almost every youthful haunt I've revisited. The way the cities in this country are steadily degrading into run-down, noisy, filthy chaos is saddening.
      The icthyologist mentioned, JLB Smith, produced the most beautifully illustrated book, The Sea Fishes of Southern Africa.

  • @uncleben4872
    @uncleben4872 Před 3 lety

    I love your videos. You have an excellent voice and cadence for this kind of work.

  • @you2angel1
    @you2angel1 Před 2 lety +3

    It's really how you look at things.
    She made this fish absolutely adorable in her description.
    Now I can't help but see the thing as beautiful.

  • @christopherseivard8925
    @christopherseivard8925 Před 3 lety +11

    Thanks so much for this story. I recall reading the book, in the 6th grade! Now, despite a stroke, I am amazed at how much I remember! There may still be some hope for me yet!

    • @emuwasi
      @emuwasi Před 3 lety +1

      There's a book I found interesting book called something like the brain that changes itself.

  • @apexmoto9610
    @apexmoto9610 Před 3 lety +8

    Very glad you covered this, bravo 👏🏼. The story of the Ceolacanth deserves more exposure for both the young and old.

  • @mcbillygoat
    @mcbillygoat Před rokem +1

    This video is amazing. Great production here.

  • @dlkline27
    @dlkline27 Před 2 lety +10

    I've been fascinated with this fish ever since I found a picture of that first specimen in one of my high school text books. I slaughtered the pronunciation of "Coelacanth" but that didn't dim my enthusiasm when many decades later (I graduated in 1957) this fish was back in the news. Thanks for the video.

    • @CairnOwO
      @CairnOwO Před rokem

      I read about these in elementary school and found them super interesting. That was probably 17 years ago. Always thought I butchered the name until I heard it pronounced in this video.

  • @Tmrfe0962
    @Tmrfe0962 Před 3 lety +5

    It is no surprise sir, that once again, you’ve made me grateful to have subscribed . Watching these wonderful snippets of our common history ignites a desire to learn more. Thank you. Your effort does not go rewarded, it sets seeds of wonder in an old but curious mind.

  • @garyr3179
    @garyr3179 Před 3 lety +6

    I'm so happy you covered the Coelacanth as I always found its discovery to be so fascinating!

  • @j.athelon
    @j.athelon Před rokem

    Brilliant! Must have been a fascinating moment.

  • @eck3506
    @eck3506 Před rokem

    Another great episode 👍

  • @TheTunnellTake
    @TheTunnellTake Před 3 lety +5

    You are truly and by far the best CZcams subscription I possess. Thankyou.

  • @TheGuitologist
    @TheGuitologist Před 3 lety +136

    Fun episode.

  • @DrTuph
    @DrTuph Před rokem

    This information was very well put together. It could benefit greatly from including references. Thanks a lot for the enjoyable video.

  • @MontanaHarvestor
    @MontanaHarvestor Před rokem

    Thank you for uploading. Interesting

  • @morrisjones8994
    @morrisjones8994 Před 3 lety +7

    This guy is terrific, best ten minutes you could possibly spend.

  • @yolaalan8160
    @yolaalan8160 Před 3 lety +7

    As a child & all through school I drew this fish, scale by scale, it was & will always be my favourite fish 💕

  • @robedmunds7163
    @robedmunds7163 Před rokem

    Really enjoyed that thanks. Also really like your background setting, some interesting items there.

  • @Blade_Daddy
    @Blade_Daddy Před rokem

    Another great learning experience. Thank you.

  • @reneejones7807
    @reneejones7807 Před 3 lety +13

    What a fun story for a Friday! Thank you, History Guy!

  • @frankcooke1692
    @frankcooke1692 Před 3 lety +168

    I wish I was as moved by anything as much as that man is by a dead fish.

    • @secretagent86
      @secretagent86 Před 3 lety +9

      brilliant comment Frank

    • @wholeNwon
      @wholeNwon Před 3 lety +2

      Ennui?

    • @chrisnedbalek2866
      @chrisnedbalek2866 Před 3 lety +2

      I was going to say the same thing, but not nearly as eloquently as you did.

    • @jeffwalther3935
      @jeffwalther3935 Před 3 lety +2

      That's ONLY because you don't know, or act like you don't know, its significance and want the evidence (and him) dismissed. This dead fish proves the "creationists" entirely, dangerously WRONG, (relative pea-brains) as is the supernatural parts of the Bible. (If there's no such thing as gods, ghosts, luck, fate, karma, fairies, life-after-death, etc. a lot of AMORAL OPPORTUNISTS are disarmed, as they MUST be, for goodness' sake. The natural parts of the Bible are as good as we can expect under the circumstances. Quit trying to "kill the messenger" with the good-for-humanity-victims/bad-for-the-perps news here; just denigrating the man with such completely outrageous, denigrating, dismissive "comments". I DO think you know better. You're most likely a "creationist", huh? The Earth is round, I tell ya! Yet they persist. HHHmmmm . . . .

    • @frankcooke1692
      @frankcooke1692 Před 3 lety

      @@wholeNwon Well, yes as it happens. But I don't think you would begin to define stoicism at the point that you can contain your emotions upon receiving a fish in the mail either.

  • @technicolorbutterfly9756

    Like many others here, I remember reading a book about this fish as a kid (in the early 70’s for me) and it fascinated me. Stuck with me long enough that I clicked when this came up in my feed. Never doubt the positive impact of reading on a young mind!

  • @Gr8Layks
    @Gr8Layks Před rokem

    Interesting! And, your narration is excellent.

  • @sorbabaric1
    @sorbabaric1 Před 3 lety +7

    When I was a child we visited the Stanley Aquarium in Vancouver BC. I made a bee-line for the live coelacanth they had on display. This story had always captured my imagination.

    • @jacobishii6121
      @jacobishii6121 Před rokem +1

      When was this? I lived in that region and had never heard of a live one in the world let alone in Vancouver

    • @jacobishii6121
      @jacobishii6121 Před rokem +1

      Okay I was being way too polite with that that just flat didn't happen there's never been a live one in captivity

    • @salvagemonster3612
      @salvagemonster3612 Před rokem

      No you are remembering wrong. In Canada they only had carp and a midget in a dress

  • @notahotshot
    @notahotshot Před 3 lety +272

    Science: "It turns out the coelacanth is not extinct."
    Chinese folk "medicine": "And we took that personally."

    • @nevadahomestead8500
      @nevadahomestead8500 Před 3 lety +3

      😂😂 their swim bladders make great ED pills

    • @Chironex_Fleckeri
      @Chironex_Fleckeri Před 3 lety +34

      Also, Silent Spring happened in China. They're going to strip the oceans bare and pollute us into a mass extinction. Then theyll blame it on the West .

    • @jancukasu
      @jancukasu Před 3 lety +16

      @@Chironex_Fleckeri no shit sherlock... They DID create corona and caused the whole world to suffer, what worse abomination they can't commit and not to blame the west on it?

    • @diefe6515
      @diefe6515 Před 3 lety +5

      and here i am waiting for another 'Whiny' The Pooh agent comment defending their chinese government

    • @raritica8409
      @raritica8409 Před 3 lety +6

      @@Chironex_Fleckeri I've read that something like 75 to 80% of all fish caught are consumed in China and Japan... They need to practice sustainability our oceans are drastically overfished!!

  • @daveduffy1755
    @daveduffy1755 Před rokem +1

    Thank you for your great history lesson on this mysterious fish
    Well presented huge knowlege no crap just facts 😊

  • @Articulate99
    @Articulate99 Před rokem

    Always interesting, thank you.

  • @lmboh8585
    @lmboh8585 Před 3 lety +4

    I have loved the coelacanth ever since I read The Search Beneath the Sea when I was a young girl reading everything I could get my hands on from the library. Thank you for today's video about this unique fish.

  • @michaeltuz608
    @michaeltuz608 Před 3 lety +8

    Thanks, History Guy!
    I've been fascinated by the story of the coelocanth ever since I read _In Search of a Living Fossil_ whaen I was in grade school in 1966.

    • @andyharman3022
      @andyharman3022 Před rokem +1

      I read that book too! Probably early 1970's.

  • @dat2ra
    @dat2ra Před 3 lety +1

    Excellent. As a Geologist, I was familiar with this fish but not it's interesting back story which you so elegantly provided. Thank you!

  • @richardoldman5982
    @richardoldman5982 Před 2 lety

    Happy Million (almost) your Royal Dudeness! You worked hard for this.

  • @nealstephensonhiro72
    @nealstephensonhiro72 Před 3 lety +4

    Pure Quality! Nice to see you are on your way to a million subscribers sir, my early congratulations on an achievement that must surely come very soon!

  • @QuantumRift
    @QuantumRift Před 3 lety +6

    Oh my gosh! Now I remember one of the first "Scholastic Books" I ever got, in grade school, was a book called "Search for a Living Fossil: The Story of the Coelacanth" - and I just looked it up on Amazon and it's from 1966. Wow this brings back memories. I was like 9 yrs old and this book was one of the first I ever had like that and it made HISTORY so INTERESTING...and I still remember it to this day, THANK YOU for bringing back this awesome memory for me!!

  • @alyciahatton2038
    @alyciahatton2038 Před 3 lety

    Absolutely loved this!

  • @vanmann8347
    @vanmann8347 Před 2 lety

    Very interesting as always.👍

  • @markrothenbuhler6232
    @markrothenbuhler6232 Před 3 lety +18

    The History Guy's intersection of history and science is always amazing!

  • @pamelamays4186
    @pamelamays4186 Před 3 lety +26

    Ah, you broke out your Creature Of The Black Lagoon action figure. Very clever History Guy, very clever!

  • @StrangerInAStrange
    @StrangerInAStrange Před 2 lety +1

    Another excellent episode. You never fail to deliver.

  • @flyingsodwai1382
    @flyingsodwai1382 Před rokem

    Im subbed to your channel but my real love is science. Having you do some science history is awesome!

  • @chrisnemec5644
    @chrisnemec5644 Před 3 lety +13

    I remember reading a story in Time magazine in the late 1970's or early 1980's about how a fishing boat from the Comoro Islands managed to find a new variation of the coelacanth. About a year or so later, there was a nature program that went into depth about the fish. It said it was an apex predator in its native waters with few enemies.

    • @77thTrombone
      @77thTrombone Před 3 lety +1

      *You,* Chris, are definitely an old dude (or babe.) *I,* however, am still a spring flower, as _I_ read about this in my _Weekly Reader_ while I was still in elementary school -- 4th grade, if memory serves. 3rd grade, if it doesn't. Either way, I'd put it in the mid 70's.
      I just googled for the story you mention, and found this statement in Wikipedia: _The Comoro Islands specimen was discovered in December 1952. Between 1938 and 1975, 84 specimens were caught and recorded._ The Wp article has a photo of "Preserved specimen of West Indian Ocean coelacanth caught in 1974 off Salimani, Grand Comoro, Comoro Islands." It also states, "...The American Museum of Natural History dissected its first coelacanth specimen in 1975...."
      Age well, dude/babe!

  • @davebeach2343
    @davebeach2343 Před 3 lety +33

    One of the few teachers that I had in high school that I still remember was my 10th grade history teacher. His approach was similar to your's. Story telling is an art which few people practice well.

  • @jamesfarrell8339
    @jamesfarrell8339 Před 3 lety +1

    Excellent video
    Great job

  • @smvanderlouw
    @smvanderlouw Před 3 lety

    Fantastic video my friend!