What is it with all of the weird sea creatures lately?

[Kevy Baby]

Zanzibar fishermen land ancient fish
Coelacanths once thought to have become extinct 80 million years ago

ZANZIBAR - Fishermen in Zanzibar have caught a coelacanth, an ancient fish once thought to have become extinct when it disappeared from fossil records 80 million years ago, an official said on Sunday.The whole story (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19785808/).

http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070716/070716_coelacanth_hmed_5a.hmedium.jpg

[RStar]

The look on that guy's face is "What the hell is this gross thing I'm holding? Can you tell me please??!!"

[Capt Jack]

more like "are you done with that camera yet? I have to get this home for dinner"

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Only a matter of time before we find them mermaids....or the lost city of Atlantis.

I bet it has to do with the current connectivity of the world. It's like that tribe that was digging up dinosaur bones and grinding them up for magical uses - they did that for generations before they finally got hooked up and realized what they had.

I bet these aren't the first of their kinds, just the first that the western world caught wind of.

[BarTopDancer]

I also think improved technology and resources has enabled us to go further into the depths of the ocean.

I have mixed feelings about these findings. On one hand, it's awesome that we are finding these creatures. On the other, they aren't meant to live in the shallow waters and we are going to end up killing them.

But it would be awesome if they found a Megaladon down there.

[Chernabog]

I'm trying to decide whether to blame it all on George Bush, or Cthulhu.

[Prudence]

Ia! Ia! R'lyeh Cthulhu ftagn! Ia! Ia! Mglui naflftagn Dagon e Y'ha-nthlei! Ia! Ia! Y'ha-nthlei!

[Morrigoon]

How come every time they find a coelacanth, they act like it's the first time they've discovered they're not extinct??? Didn't they find the first one over a decade ago?

FWIW, I always thought the coelacanth was cool. I wonder if they're also tasty?

Also (yeah, random): if it's a deep-water fish, is it possible to catch live and hold in an aquarium as part of a coelacanth breeding program? Is it possible to have deep-water fish in an aquarium, or does that screw with their systems too much?

[Chernabog]

Ia! Ia! R'lyeh Cthulhu ftagn! Ia! Ia! Mglui naflftagn Dagon e Y'ha-nthlei! Ia! Ia! Y'ha-nthlei!

Ia! Ia! Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

Hmmmm I wonder if any of these strange creatures are popping up near Innsmouth... I knew there was something fishy about that place (ha, ha.)

[alphabassettgrrl]

I'll have to look up the link on my other computer but there's a group of Creationists who are looking for dinosaurs to prove Creationism. Finds like this encourage them.

Evolution says coelocanths died out a long time ago. But we just caught one. Evolution is therefore wrong. For some reason the survival of a dinosaur past its supposed extinction means that Creationism is right.

[Morrigoon]

Monkeys are still around... doesn't mean we didn't evolve from them, I say.

Just because donkeys and horses exist doesn't mean a mule didn't come from them, you KWIM?

[Kevy Baby]

How come every time they find a coelacanth, they act like it's the first time they've discovered they're not extinct??? Didn't they find the first one over a decade ago?Actually, it appears that there may be more than one discovery over the years.

http://www.dinofish.com/discoa.htm
http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2003/october/coelacanth.htm
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/vertebrates/coelacanth/coelacanths.html

[Morrigoon]

Exactly

[Chernabog]

The Great Old Ones are coming back! Run for your lives fools! Fear THE BLOOP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloop)! Ia! Ia!

(ok fine fine, I'll stop being obnoxious.)

[Disneyphile]

Also (yeah, random): if it's a deep-water fish, is it possible to catch live and hold in an aquarium as part of a coelacanth breeding program? Is it possible to have deep-water fish in an aquarium, or does that screw with their systems too much?Good question. But, I could swear I've seen deep-sea fish at some aquariums before. They're usually kept in the dark and such.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Also (yeah, random): if it's a deep-water fish, is it possible to catch live and hold in an aquarium as part of a coelacanth breeding program? Is it possible to have deep-water fish in an aquarium, or does that screw with their systems too much?It is possible to keep deepwater species in pressurized environments, however I'd imagine it's not particularly convenient to do so and especially not for breeding purposes.

[Kevy Baby]

(ok fine fine, I'll stop being obnoxious.)No you won't - it's part of why we like you!

[€uroMeinke]

Also (yeah, random): if it's a deep-water fish, is it possible to catch live and hold in an aquarium as part of a coelacanth breeding program? Is it possible to have deep-water fish in an aquarium, or does that screw with their systems too much?

When visiting Ralphie's lab at Harvard we got to see the pressurized vessels they were making to capture some deep sea specimens. More metal than glass (or whatever transparent material they use) I can't imagine them being employed well in a Sea World type environment. I know before their use there was still question about what could be brought back alive.

Another, fond memory is seeing numerous specimens that Ralphie (and his collegues) had yet to be able to identify:

Not Afraid: What's in this jar
Ralphie: Huh? Oh, we don't know yet