A Fish Caught in Time: The Search for the Coelacanth

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Story - Great Fun for Ichthyologists
Review: Although the basic facts of the search for living coelacanths have been widely known for many years, this book did a wonderful job of filling in many gaps about the people involved in the search, the habitats used by the coelacanth and the evolution, biology and ecology of the species. Inclusion of the recent discovery of a second population of coelacanths in Indonesia certainly reinforced the conviction that there are tremendous discoveries just waiting to be wrested from our oceans. Indeed, I just heard an as-yet unconfirmed report that a third population of coelacanth has been discovered. Every time I take a class onto the ocean, I harbor a tiny hope that maybe I'll find something equally fantastic. I hope that the author has a chance to revise this book in the future to include the results of further studies on the fish.

The only real problem with the book was the cover, which presented an artistic rendition of a fish that looked like a genetic engineering experiment run amok! My graduate students sure had fun picking out the problems: a salmon head grafted onto a coelacanth body, with a protrusible mouth bordered by maxillary bones.....and lots of other ichthyological oddities. If the book is revised/reprinted, I hope the cover presents an accurate picture of this fantastic fish.

Rating:
Summary: It kind of makes you wonder.
Review: I had read an account a few years back about the initial discovery of the coelacanth off the coast of South Africa and the tracking down of its habitat to the waters around Madagascar. It captured my imagination.

It was great to find out that the story didn't end with the Madagascar discovery. Upon reading this book, I was thrilled to hear about the confirmation of coelacanths living off Indonesia. The theory put forth in the book that there might be populations in the Philippines or even off the Atlantic coast of the United States stirs the imagination as well.

The book is very easy to get thru. It gives you just the right amount of scientific information and includes more human elements, namely the stories of the people involved in discovering, studying and protecting the coelacanth.

Something like this definitely makes you wonder. I mean, if a fish that was thought to be extinct for millions of years escaped detection by humanity till the beginning of the twentieth century, what else might still be out there?

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book
Review: This is a wonderfully written book, which blends science with excellent character development and story telling. If you enjoy books that teach you about science, but read like a good novel, then this is a perfect book for you.

It is the story of a serendipitous discovery, and how the passion and perseverance of a few overcame politics, personal egos, and various challenges to preserve a fish. Weinberg wrote a wonderful book; I learned a great deal, and I cannot wait to read her next book.