Jul 5 2025

Selects: How Coelacanths Work

Selects 47 min 6 movies discussed
Listen

Coelacanths are incredibly interesting as far as fish go. For one, they were thought to have gone the way of the dinosaur, along with the dinosaur. They also give birth to live fish and tend to dwell more than 800 feet below the ocean's surface. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Learn all about these fascinating creatures in this classic episode.

AI Summary

# Summary

In this episode, Josh and Chuck dive into the fascinating world of the coelacanth, a prehistoric fish that was thought to be extinct for 80 million years until its shocking rediscovery in 1938 off the coast of South Africa. They explore the remarkable features that make this deep-sea dweller one of the most unusual creatures on Earth, from its hinged skull and electrically-sensing snout to its bizarre reproductive system and oil-filled brain. Along the way, they discuss other "living fossils" like the gar and hagfish, and celebrate listener mail from someone whose mom married Bob Dorough, the creative genius behind Schoolhouse Rock.


Movies Discussed

Documentary Now!
Documentary Now!
2015 TV-14
★ 7.1
"I definitely did. I saw the Documentary Now one of those. Which they nailed. It's like perfect. — Josh references the parody of The Thin Blue Line that appeared on the show Documentary Now!" — Josh
Dune
Dune
1984 2h 16m
★ 6.2
"It looks like something out of dune. Okay. Like the body looks like an eel, but have you seen the front end of this thing? — Chuck compares the appearance of a hagfish to something from the movie Dune." — Chuck
General Hospital
General Hospital
1963
★ 5.8
"Once General Hospital's over, just looking around at everybody like, well, what do you want to do? — Chuck humorously suggests what coelacanths might do while waiting in caves during the day." — Chuck
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
1969
★ 7.8
"Can you remember how Shaggy walked in Scooby-Doo? I do. Just like that. — Chuck uses Shaggy's walking style as a comparison to describe how a coelacanth swims with its fins." — Chuck
The Thin Blue Line
The Thin Blue Line
1988 1h 43m
★ 7.6
"I finally saw a thin blue line for the first time. Yeah, that's a good one. — Josh mentions watching The Thin Blue Line, an Errol Morris documentary."
Vernon, Florida
Vernon, Florida
1981 55m
★ 6.8
"And did you ever see Vernon, Florida, the documentary? No, I've never seen that one. By the great Errol Morris. — Chuck mentions the documentary Vernon, Florida by Errol Morris, which features an interview about garfish." — Chuck

💬 Comments

Log in to leave a comment.

No comments yet. Be the first!