Living Fossil: African coelacanth is not 65 mn years-old as evolution is evident in its genes The fish went on to earn the moniker 'living fossil' because of its anatomy that resembled fossilised records. Feb 12, 2021 12:29:09 IST Back in 1938, the first living coelacanth was caught off the coast of South Africa, roughly 65 million years after it was believed to have been become extinct. Needless to say, the discovery caused quite a stir. While the fish went on to earn the moniker 'living fossil' because of its anatomy that resembled fossilised records, researchers from the University of Toronto have now said that the genome of the ancient coelacanth tells a whole different story. According to a