{"id":38120,"date":"2024-04-24T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-24T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/36a39928-e43c-4a7f-87a9-a051714a1220"},"modified":"2024-04-24T21:35:40","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T19:35:40","slug":"monstrous-prehistoric-salmon-with-teeth-like-warthog-tusks-once-roamed-the-pacific-ocean","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/monstrous-prehistoric-salmon-with-teeth-like-warthog-tusks-once-roamed-the-pacific-ocean\/","title":{"rendered":"Monstrous prehistoric salmon with teeth like warthog tusks once roamed the Pacific Ocean"},"content":{"rendered":"

Palaeontologists believe the teeth of the giant fish \u2013 which was almost three metres long \u2013 may have been used for fighting and digging nests. <\/p>

By Daniel Graham\n <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 24 April 2024 at 18:00 PM<\/p>

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Oncorhynchus rastrosus<\/em> was an enormous species of salmon that once roved the seas around North America.<\/p>

Estimated to reach lengths of up to 2.7 metres (8.9 feet) and weigh up to half a tonne, this titan of the ocean was the largest member of the Salmonidae family that has ever lived. <\/p>

Its size was backed-up with sharp teeth. Until now, these were thought to arch backward into the creature’s mouth, like fangs or sabres. <\/p>

But a new study<\/a>, led by Kerin Claeson from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine<\/a> in the USA, and published in the journal PLOS ONE<\/em>, suggests that the front teeth of Oncorhynchus rastrosus<\/em> in fact projected out from the sides of its mouth, more like the tusks of a warthog. <\/p>

Size of the spike-tooth salmon compared to the largest living salmon and a six-foot-tall fisherman. Credit: Ray Troll<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Sabre to spike<\/h2>

Since it was first described in the 1970s, researchers have always thought the oversized front teeth of Oncorhynchus rastrosus<\/em> pointed backwards into the mouth, like those of the iconic sabre-toothed tiger, leading to the nickname ‘saber-toothed salmon’.<\/p>

According to the study, this was largely because fossils of the teeth were found separately from the rest of the skull. <\/p>

\"Giant
Profile of the spike-tooth salmon. Credit: Ray Troll<\/figcaption><\/figure>

But through new CT scans and analysis of various\u00a0fossils \u2013 including new specimens recovered from the Gateway Quarry in Oregon\u00a0\u2013 researchers from America believe that the teeth instead pointed sideways out of the fish\u2019s mouth. As a result, the paper suggests that the species should be renamed the ‘spike-toothed salmon’.<\/p>

Claeson, who led the study, says that the teeth are\u00a0akin to those of a warthog. “No other living (or extinct) salmon possesses teeth with such an unusual orientation, which naturally had us asking, ‘Why did they evolve this way?'”<\/p>

\"Spike-tooth
Spike-tooth salmon head with teeth pointing outwards. Credit: University of Oregon<\/figcaption><\/figure>

“We have known for decades that these extinct salmon from Central Oregon were the largest to ever live,” says Claeson. “Discoveries like ours show they probably weren’t gentle giants. <\/p>

“These massive spikes at the tip of their snouts would have been useful to defend against predators, compete against other salmon, and ultimately build the nests where they would incubate their eggs.<\/p>

“They could have used their massive body muscles to\u00a0yield incredible strength to those spikes.\u00a0Imagine a one-pound geology hammer, sharpened, and wielded by 200 pounds of lateral muscle. Such spikes, wielded with such force, could have easily killed, or injured a shark<\/a>, dolphin<\/a>, sea lion or rival spike-tooth salmon.”<\/p>

\"Oncorhynchus
(A) Drawing of Oncorhynchus rastrosus’ originally proposed ‘sabre-toothed’ position (B) Anterior view of skull, prior to complete preparation and CT scan (C) Artist\u2019s impression a male’s skull with accurate spike-tooth configuration (D) Artist\u2019s impression of female with accurate spike-tooth configuration. Credit: Claeson et al., 2024, PLOS ONE<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Both females and males are thought to have had these lateral teeth, says Brian Sidlauskas, professor and curator of fishes at Oregon State University<\/a>. \u201cWe also stress that females and males alike possessed the enormous, tusk-like teeth. Therefore, the sexes were equally fearsome.\u201d<\/p>

The authors think the teeth probably weren\u2019t used for catching prey.\u00a0Oncorhynchus rastrosus<\/em>\u00a0is believed to have been a filter-feeder, with a diet comprising mostly of plankton.<\/p>

Edward Davis, associate professor of earth sciences at the University of Oregon and director of Condon Collection at the UO\u2019s\u00a0Museum of Natural and Cultural History<\/a>, adds: \u201cI\u2019m delighted that we have been able to put a new face on the giant spike-tooth salmon, bringing knowledge from the field in Oregon to the world.\u201d<\/p>

\"Giant
A model of the spike-tooth salmon is currently on display at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History. Credit: University of Oregon<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The paper \u2013\u00a0From sabers to spikes: A newfangled reconstruction of the ancient, giant, sexually dimorphic Pacific salmon, \u2020Oncorhynchus rastrosus (SALMONINAE: SALMONINI)<\/a><\/em> \u2013 is freely available article in\u00a0PLOS ONE<\/em>. Authors: Claeson KM, Sidlauskas BL, Troll R, Prescott ZM, Davis EB<\/p>

Main image: Spike tooth profile of the giant prehistoric salmon. Credit: Ray Troll<\/em><\/p>

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