Mystery Coelacanth Photos
Posted by: Loren Coleman on January 3rd, 2009
Okay, interested in a contest?
Name the major individuals in all four photos below. Then name the movie title represented by the fifth image, and I’ll send you a signed copy of The Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep (NY: Tarcher/Penguin, 2003).
From what motion picture is the following photograph?
Extra credit = Can you name the two people in this photo?
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
fifth image is from movie
Monster on Campus
The film was directed by Jack Arnold who did Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Incredible Shrinking Man and from a script by David Duncan The Time Machine
According to “Jeopardy” and your usual game show rules, I have to declare boxerpit’s answer incorrect.
first is of Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer with the first discovered Coelacanth
second is James Leonard Brierly Smith
3rd is amn staff in 1962
4th is
5th is from the 1958 film
The film was directed by Jack Arnold who did the Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Incredible Shrinking Man.
1. Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, of course. One of my childhood heroes.
2. Eric Hunt, James Leonard Briery Smith, and Governor Pierre Coudert after the 1952 Comoros find.
3. Hrm… Guy on the left is probably Bobb Schaeffer, since he was head of the vertebrate paleontology program at the American Museum of Natural History at the time they received this fish. No idea who the fella rocking the beatnik beard is, though.
4. Complete mystery to me. Who IS that smiling, gloved man? It’s driving me a bit mad…
5. ‘Monster on THE Campus’, rest of the info as stated by ‘Boxerpit’ above. You’re a strict one, Mr. Coleman.
6. (extra credit) – I think that would be Ahamadi Abdallah (also called ‘Ahmed Hussein’ in some early reports) and his assistant Souha who caught the 1952 Comoran coelacanth.
Incidentally, it’s depressing how many links to creation-science websites are opened up by a Google search for the term ‘Coelacanth’. My brain feels like it’s been coated with a light layer of fuzz after skimming over a few of them.
Hint: The extra credit photo (#6) is not from 1952, but of the Mozambique specimen found in 1991.
I think the fish in the the 4th pic was named “Josh”…
Regarding #6:
According to a article the Coelacanth was caught by a side-trawler called Vega 13. A Japanese/mozambique joint venture fishing operation (source).
Captain of the ship Kenji Yoshida (Japanese name) immediately recognized it and put in a onboard freezer. The next day at port A.J.P. Cabral (Caucasian probably) from Museum of Natural History in Maputo, Mozambique collected the speciman.
Since there was no freezer or preservation chemicals available, Cabral instructed his assistant Augustinho Chivindze (mozambique name) to skin the specimen for mounting.
By reasons of deductions….
The fish is not in the freezer. The guy on the right doesn’t look like a Fisherman from his white clean clothing. (more like a butcher/taxidermist coat) The fish looks thawed out and ready for skinning? (or already gutted?) Appears to be (non-fish) animal carcasses in the background.
So I say its a picture of Augustinho Chivindze (probably on the right) and a assistant or helper.
#1. 32 year old Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, with 1st coelacanth.
#2. Professor J.L.B.(James Leonard Brierley) Smith kneling in front of the fish, Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer sent a sketch of the coelacanth, to J.L.B. Smith of Rhodes University to have it identified.
#3. American Museum of Natural History staff members with the 1st coelacanth, the fish came in 1962.
#4. William Smith?
#5. 1958 Monster on the Campus, a coelacanth.
#6. Ahamadi Abdallah (Ahmed Hussein) and Souha.
I believe that the woman at the top is Miss Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer.
I think one of the guys in the second photo is named Eric Hunt.
As for the 3rd photo, Isn’t that the Coelacanth from the American Museum of Natural history?
I’m gonna take a shot and say the fourth is professor JLB Smith.
And I’m pretty sure that the movie is called “Monster on Campus”.
I dunno about the EC, though.