Skip to main content
 

The Coelacanth: An Odd Fish

By Eric Ribbens, Robert H. Grant

The Coelacanth: An Odd Fish


 

Abstract

This "clicker case" is a redesign of a case, also in our collection, by Robert H. Grant titled "A Strange Fish Indeed: The 'Discovery' of a Living Fossil." The case follows the story of Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer and her discovery of the coelacanth, a fish of considerable evolutionary interest. It uses the story as a springboard to explore evolutionary concepts and the scientific method. It has been reformatted to use student personal response systems (“clickers”) and a PowerPoint presentation (~4.2MB), and further emphasizes the role of Ms. Courtenay-Latimer. The case is designed for large introductory biology courses.

   

Date Posted

11/16/2009

Overview

Objectives

  • Explore the excitement of discovering a new species.
  • Present the concept of "living fossils."
  • Encourage students to think about what should be done next.

Keywords

Coelacanth; Latimeria chalumnae; missing link; phylogeny; derived characteristic; evolution; extinction; fossil record; lobe-finned; ray-finned; fish; ichthyology; J.L.B. Smith; Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer; East London Museum; South Africa

  

Subject Headings

Biology (General)
Evolutionary Biology
Paleontology
Zoology

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

High school, Undergraduate lower division

  

FORMAT

PDF, PowerPoint

   

TOPICAL AREAS

History of science, Scientific method, Women in science

   

LANGUAGE

English

   

TYPE/METHODS

Clicker, Interrupted

 

 

Asset 2