Discovering the coelacanth - 'I've never seen a fish like this'

In 1938, South African museum curator Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer discovered a coelacanth - a fish that was believed to have been extinct for 65 million years.⁣ ⁣

It is thought to be our ancestor and the missing link between how fish evolved into four-legged amphibians.⁣ ⁣

"I came onto this most beautiful fish and to my horror it had these limb-like fins," recalls Marjorie.⁣ ⁣

She showed it to an expert, Prof JLB Smith, who confirmed it.⁣ ⁣

"'Well lass,' he said. 'This fish will be on the lips of every scientist in the world. It's a coelacanth.'"⁣

(Picture: Coelacanth, Credit: Getty Images)