In 1938, a fish caught off this port town was identified as a coelacanth, a fish thought to be extinct. It is the place where the "living fossil" was discovered.
Sighting & Incident Site
East London, South Africa
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Positions on the map are a rough guide to the area where a legend or sighting is set. Most pins are placed at representative points of a municipality or prefecture (outside Japan, a city position rounded to about 10 km, or the country), not at the exact place.
Municipality points: Geolonia address data (CC BY 4.0), based on the Address Base Registry (Digital Agency of Japan) / Country points: Natural Earth
| Encyclopedia | Coelacanth |
|---|---|
| Location | South Africa East London |
| Type of place | Sea |
| Map position | Approximate position (City, rounded to about 10 km), not the exact place |
An ancient fish thought to have gone extinct about 66 million years ago. A living one was found off South Africa in 1938, astonishing the world; it is the classic "living fossil." We explain how it was discovered.