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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2010
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VOLUME 121 ISSUE 106
FISHY FRIEND
A case of mistaken extinction
Andy Bentley, collection manager of Ichthyology, gives a presentation at the Natural History Museum Wednesday evening. The event, "The Coelacanth — The Living Fossil of the Oceans," offered visitors a chance to learn the history of the 1938 coelacanth discovery and take a look at the museum's only specimen.
Deborah Fraser/KANSAN
BY NANCY WOLENS
nwolens@kansan.com
The Natural History Museum's only specimen of the coelacanth is displayed during the museum's Wild Science event Wednesday evening. The first coelacanth was found in 1938 off the coast of South Africa after having thought to have been extinct for 65 million years.
Deborah Fraser/KANSAN
The Coelacanth (SEAL-ahcanth), a group of strange looking fish with intricate fin movements, was only known from the fossils scientists had until a young curator from the East London Museum, Marjorie Courtnay-Latimer, walked through a fish market and spotted a big blue fin sticking out of a pile of fish. It was something she had never seen before in her life, and she knew it was unusual.
It was supposed to have been extinct for 65 million years. But for the curator who found the fish alive in 1938, it was like finding a living dinosaur.
Andy Bentley, collection manager of Ichthyology at the University's Natural History Museum, re-told the story at the monthly Wild Science event at the museum Wednesday evening. Wild Science offers a chance for the public to interact with KU researchers. It will continue to be offered each month throughout the semester.
Bentley discussed the evolutionary history, biology and ecology, and the first discovery of the fish, named the "find of the century".
"None of these things were thought to be living." Bentley said. "They were all thought to have been extinct for 65 million years."
FISH FACTS
Allison Fulton, a graduate student from Forest Grove, Ore., left the event impressed by what Bentley had to say.
"Those are the best kind of stories for stuff like this," Fulton said. "When you actually have the specimen and you can talk about its history, it's really interesting."
"If you think of something like a toilet [paper] roll made out of cartilage and filled with oil, that is what its backbone looks like," Bentley said.
Bentley said the Coelacanth can grow to about 6 feet long and weigh about 150 pounds, but it still doesn't have a backbone like most other fish.
Bentley said the fish has lobed fins, which are similar to the human hand. They have well developed
scales and hollow fin spines, he said. They have jelly-filled organs at the front of their noses, which act as sensory organs, allowing them to detect their environment and their prey.
They are dark blue in color with white speckled patterns down the side of their body. Living deep in the water — as much as 650 feet below the surface — they're known as cave dwellers, Bentley said. They eat anything they find because there is little food so deep in the ocean
"When you actually have the specimen and can talk about its history,it's really interesting."
SAVING THE COELANCANTH
Bentley said these animals, with a status of CITES Appendix 1, are considered highly endangered
ALLISON FULTON Graduate student from Forest Grove, Ore.
Since the first discovery of the living Coelacanth in 1938, there have been five findings, specifically one in 1952 that led scientists
to think that their known "home" is in the Comoro Islands, off the Eastern coast of Africa.
species.
"Extinct CITES Appendix 1 specimens are those most rare and most endangered species around the world," Bentley said. "Things like elephant tusks and rhino horns are there as well."
Conservation efforts continue to save the
Coelancanth. The fish rarely stay alive after being caught by regional fisherman because the fish are unable to swim back down to their deep-water habitat.
The Coelacanth Rescue Mission and conservation organizations have begun handing out deep
release kits for local fisherman so they can get the fish to the cold bottom easier.
The South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, where Bentley used to work, recently received $25 million from the German government and $25 million from the South African government to do further research on the species.
There is a 30-pound specimen that is 38 inches long located at the University Natural History Museum to view.
- Edited by Kate Larrabee
SPEAKER
'Dating doctor' gives advice to couples, singles
BY ALISON CUMBOW alison@kansan.com
alison@kansan.com
Molly Boehner and her boyfriend Paul Thorne sat toward the back of the auditorium and appeared confident as they waited to hear David Coleman speak about relationships and dating. The couple has been in a stable relationship for one year, Thorn said they had taken two breaks from each other. So while Thorne said their relationship was strong, he said they could always use advice to polish some of the rough edges.
"We get through fights pretty quickly," said Boehner, a sophomore from Lenexa.
"We communicate pretty well, but we call each other out as well," said Thorne, who is also a junior from Lenexa. The auditorium was filled, with
SEE DATING ON PAGE 3A
The auditorium was filled with
"Dating Doctor" David Coleman said Howard Stern dubbed him the authority on pick-up lines because he has 11,000 pick-up lines memorized. These are some of the worst he's ever heard:
FAILURE TO LAUNCH
Howard Ting/KANSAN
Hey baby, it might look like a needle, but it works like a sewing machine.
- Hey baby, they call me a pirate, so give me all your booty.
■ Hey baby, come sit on my knee. Not my left knee. Not my right knee. But my wee-knee.
David Coleman, the Dating Doctor, visits the Kansas Union Wednesday evening. As a 12-time National Speaker of the Year winner, Coleman is known as "America's Real-Life Hitch!' with his humorous approach to serious relationship advice.
ALTERNATIVE BREAKS
Summer program available to students
BY NANCY WOLENS
nwolens@kansan.com
nwolens@kansan.com
When the Alternative Breaks program had to turn down 40 applicants because of limited slots, the organization proposed creating a summer breaks program to accommodate the overwhelming number of interested students.
Hannah Nusz, a senior from Kansas City and a co-director of Alternative Breaks, said she had been interested in expanding programs for a long time, including the creation of summer programs.
"Our goal is to be able to send as many people as possible on the trips," Mertz said.
Alternative Breaks has been on campus for 15 years and already offers students the opportunity to volunteer during winter, spring and weekend breaks. Students have an array of sites to choose from each break. This year there are about 10 spring break trips planned.
The summer breaks program will start this summer. Applications are due March 5 and are available at groups.ku.edu/~albreaks/. Students can bring their applications to room 425 in the Kansas Union in the Student Involvement Leadership Center.
The summer trip takes place from May 17-26, and students will travel to two different sites, one in California and one in New York.
The first site is located on Catalina Island, Calif. Students will work with the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program, an outdoor education program for fourth-12th grade students.
Julia Barnard, a sophomore from Lawrence and public relations representative for Alternative Breaks, said student volunteers would have the chance to assist in conservation and ecological awareness, such as trail building while working the younger students.
"The cool part about this break is that in their free time they're
SEE SUMMER ON PAGE 3A
ALTERNATIVE SPRING,
SUMMER AND WINTER BREAKS:
PARTICIPANTS: $275
SITE LEADERS: $225
Prices include transportation, housing, meals, minibreak and a T-shirt. A $50 deposit is needed with all applications.
WEEKEND BREAKS
DAY TRIPS: $5
OVERNIGHT TRIPS: $10
The money is due with applications.
index
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Opinion...5A
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