A live coelacanth swimming off the east coast of South Africa.
Image: Mike Bruton
One of the most extraordinary scientific discoveries of the twentieth century will be explored at the Franschhoek Theatre on Wednesday, February 25, when Professor Mike Bruton presents Finding Old Fourlegs: The Remarkable Story of the Coelacanth.
The lecture revisits the dramatic moment in 1938 when a living coelacanth was caught off East London, stunning the scientific world.
The ancient fish lineage had long been believed extinct, having disappeared from the fossil record alongside the dinosaurs. Organisers said its rediscovery was widely described as the equivalent of finding a living dinosaur, though in evolutionary terms, scientists regard it as even more significant.
In his illustrated talk, Professor Bruton will trace the story of the coelacanth’s rediscovery and the later identification of populations in the western Indian Ocean and Indonesia, including sightings off Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar and the Comoros.
While the fish’s anatomy appears primitive, research has revealed complex behaviour and unusual reproductive strategies.
Professor Bruton is a respected science communicator and former director of the Two Oceans Environmental Education Trust, as well as founding director of the MTN ScienCentre in Cape Town.
A Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa and the Linnean Society of London, he has received numerous awards for his contribution to science education.
The event forms part of the SmallTalX lecture series, which brings leading scientists and thinkers to Franschhoek for public talks.
The lecture begins at 6:30pm. Tickets cost R250 and include a glass of wine, snacks, and a question-and-answer session. Booking is essential.
Reservations can be made at Franschhoek Theatre in this link, by emailing smalltalx.info@gmail.com, or via WhatsApp at 073 421 8879.
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