The Amazing Coelacanth

by Mike Bruton

Overview

This colourful illustrated children’s book is aimed at ages 9-14. It recounts the discovery of the first coelacanth in modern times – a fish that had been thought to be extinct for many millions of years, and was known only from its fossil record. In 1939, a specimen was hauled ashore in a fishing net off the South African coast near East London, and its identification as a coelacanth made world news. Chemistry professor JLB Smith identifed the fish and dedicated the rest of his life to searching for live specimens and researching the science surrounding this evolutionary phenomenon. This book, by ichthyologist Mike Bruton, uncovers: the mystery of the coelacanth and the thrilling story of its discovery, its strange appearance and lifestyle, what makes it so special, how it evolved – and what this has to do with human evolution, how and what it eats, and who eats it. These and many other details provide insight into this amazing fish and its marine companions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781775845034
Publisher:	Penguin Random House South Africa
Publication date:	04/01/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	64
File size:	32 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	9 - 14 Years

About the Author

Mike Bruton is an established author. As a budding young ichthyologist at Rhodes University, he knew both of the Smiths, JLB Smith briefly from January 1966 until his death in January 1968, and Margaret for 20 years, during which time he worked closely with her, and succeeded her as Director of the Institute of Icthyology in Grahamstown. In addition to academic papers and popular articles, Mike has published a number of books, including (with Struik Nature) The Annotated Old Fourlegs, The Amazing Coelacanth and Fishes of the Okavango&Chobe River.