Loch Ness Outdone

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 94, 22 April 1939, Page 2 (Supplement)

Loch Ness Outdone

ByA. W.B.Powell

A FEW years ago the "Loch Ness Monster" was a major sensation, catching the popular fancy throughout the world. Unfortunately the "monster" did not materialise, the only record he gave us being some distant profiles registered on the films of a number of photographers. Although indicating that the alleged monster was definitely something, these photographic records achieved "little more than considerably augmenting the loch's tourist traffic. Many peopie were convinced that the monster was a surviving member of some prehistoric creature, possibly one of the plesiosaurs, giant swimming reptiles that became extinct over a hundred million yea re ago. However, the disap|K>intment of Loch Xess has now been offset by the triumph of South Africa in producing a living example of a grou . of fishes' that was considered fo 1 ~- become extinct over 50,000,000 \ t 'u.. ..^>. This find may truly be eaid to be the most sensational natural history discovery of this century. The fish, which is five feet in length, weighed 1271b, and was a beautiful steelblue colour with large dark-blue eyes. In order t<. fully appreciate the importance of the discovery it will be helpful to discus.* a few fact* regarding 'the history and development of some very early fishes. Two orders of fishes come under consideration, the Dipnoi and the Orneeopter.vgii.. These were the common fishes of the distant Devonian period well represented in the old red sandstone of Scotland. The Dipnoi were the first true fishes with a gill-cover and bonv t issue in their skeletons. They have enamelled bony scale* and external head lM>nes, but very little hardening of the internal cartilaginous skeleton. The few surviving members of this once considerable group are provided not onlv with ordinary gills, but also with an ai'r bladder so modified that it can be used as a lung, hence the name "Dipnoi " which means "double breathers." The surviving members of thie ancient «n-oup are the lung-fishee of Queensland, the African rivers and lakes and South America, all being inhabitants of fresh water.

The second frroup, the Cros*opterv<ni, were the direct forerunners of the true bone fishes, thus represent/in}; an important link in the concept "f evolution The name w derived from two fJreek words, erossoi, a fringe, and pteryyion a small wing, so they may convenient]? be called fringe-finned fishes. Von-

these fine were composed of soft ray» and were relatively inefficient for propi Ision in disturbed waters. It ie no wonder, therefore, that tie group suffered in competition with" the higher bone fishes with their strong fins reinforced with hard rays. Until the recent amazing discovery of .- living Crossopterygian it was considered that the group "became extinct in the distant Cretaeeoue period. We hare seen how the equally inefficient ewiihmers, the Dipnoi, or lung fishes, have survived only in quiet inland waters. The finding of a fringe-finned fish in a marine habitat, therefore, is almost aa remarkable as the fact that it has survived at all. Dr. Smith, a South African fish expert, reported that the living specimen so closely resembled the fossil forms that there was not the slightest doubt concerning their relationship. Characteristic features of these fringe-finned fishee ar* two heavy bony plates beneath the jaw« which are not found in modern fishes, and these are strongly developed in th» newly-found specimen. Also the structure of the jaws of the living species is very different from that of the majority of modern fish, as U the bony armature of the head. The fins, which are paddle-shaped, are strangely limb-like and in the tail can be seen tJie evolutionary trend towards that of modern fish. The scales are large, over an inch in length and covered with a granulated enamel substance known as ganoin, found onlv in primitive fish. When the living specimen was first received at the East London Museum, South Africa, its unique character was not fully realised, for it was handed to a taxidermist for skinning and mounting as a museum exhibit. This, un'ortunatelr, nieant the destruction nf the soft parts, which in tlic hands of a specialist in comparative anatomy would doubtless have provided a wealth of data of immense importance. not only to fish systematic*. l>m also in rp«|>ect to evolution in general. The taxidermist noted that the skeleton was entirely of curtilage, whereas -vie would expect some calcification or unification of the skeleton. We must now live in hope* I hat where there is one li.sh there mii-t lip i>l her? and that in the not very distant !i:t;i'» the finding of further t>|H'cimcn-( "ill take place so that this deficiency in pit knowledge of fish may Ik- made good. W hat a tragedy if we ha\e to wait 50,000.000 years' for another. A remarkable point i* that the fi«h wa.« taken at the. coinparativelv shallow depth of 4(1 fathoms. Trawling down to 300 fathoms ha* been carried out extensively for many years in ~-oinh African waters, yet no loi-al nchtrnian had seen anything like this fi-h before. It seems likely that it normal!v liw« in much deeper uatir and on .<<■■ ou-it of its lar™e size ha- e-<-nj*><) the comparatively small j-peeinieti dredges and net* used in natural history -ui\e_\\-.