ONE OF THE GREAT BOOKS OF SCIENTIFIC ADVENTURE...STRANGER THAN FICTION One of the most sensational discoveries in natural history, told by the ichthyologist who was directly involved in its first capture off the South African coast in 1938. Prior to this, the fish, although known to scientists, was thought to have become extinct at least fifty million years ago. There was much professional scepticism that it was indeed a coelacanth and Professor Smith had many battles ahead of him before proof could be found. A remarkable story.