Brain Teasers
Living Fossil
Eons back, I left this earth,
Not seen, they said, again.
But a unique flicker of my worth
Was able to remain.
As mite, or germ, or egg, or seed,
A "missing link", I bided, strived.
My "proto-legs" walked o'er the weed;
Thus, sequestered, I survived.
In murky deep, for unseen ages,
Till tangled up in Nerine's net;
My appearance baffled sages,
And the wise conjecture yet.
Was I really lost, or only hid,
As in the deep I'd multiply?
Or could I, as the phoenix did,
From its ashes rise to meet the eye?
Not seen, they said, again.
But a unique flicker of my worth
Was able to remain.
As mite, or germ, or egg, or seed,
A "missing link", I bided, strived.
My "proto-legs" walked o'er the weed;
Thus, sequestered, I survived.
In murky deep, for unseen ages,
Till tangled up in Nerine's net;
My appearance baffled sages,
And the wise conjecture yet.
Was I really lost, or only hid,
As in the deep I'd multiply?
Or could I, as the phoenix did,
From its ashes rise to meet the eye?
Hint
Think: ancient fossilsAnswer
The Coelacanth, a fish thought for years to be extinct, pre-dated the dinosaurs. The first specimen known to be seen by humans was caught in a net in 1938 by the trawler "Nerine". The ship's captain contacted a museum curator about his unusual catch, and history was rewritten. ("Coelacanth" is pronounced "see-la-canth".)Hide Hint Show Hint Hide Answer Show Answer
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