It was astonishing to deduce that this particular fish was enormous
Professor Martill
These marine animals can be found still swimming our seas, having survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event responsible for wiping out the dinosaurs.
Most surprising of all was the discovery occurred totally by accident.
Professor David Martill, a palaeontologist from the University’s School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences, was asked to identify a large bone in a private collection in London.
Fossil discovery: Fossil coelacanth is an example of what a complete fish fossil coelacanth looks li (Image: University of Portsmouth)
Fossil discovery: This colourful image is a microscopic view of the bone showing the microscopic thin layers (Image: University of Portsmouth)