Oncorhynchus rastrosus
Encyclopedia
Oncorhynchus rastrosus, also known as Smilodonichthys rastrosus and as "sabertooth salmon", was a species of salmon
that lived along the Pacific coast of North America
, first appearing in the late Miocene
of California
, then dying out some time during the Pleistocene
. Adults grew to be 9 feet in length, and are believed to have been anadromous like their living relatives. Besides being the largest member of the Pacific salmon genus
Oncorhynchus
, members of this species had a pair of small "fangs" protruding from the tip of the snout, thus explaining the common name and synonym. Beyond their fangs, adults of O. rastrosus had comparatively few teeth compared to their smaller, modern relatives, leading scientists to suggest that the adults ate plankton
, unlike their modern relatives.
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
that lived along the Pacific coast of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, first appearing in the late Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, then dying out some time during the Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
. Adults grew to be 9 feet in length, and are believed to have been anadromous like their living relatives. Besides being the largest member of the Pacific salmon genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Oncorhynchus
Oncorhynchus
Oncorhynchus is a genus of fish in the family Salmonidae; it contains the Pacific salmons and Pacific trouts. The name of the genus is derived from the Greek onkos and rynchos , in reference to the hooked jaws of males in the mating season .-Range:Salmon and trout with ranges generally in waters...
, members of this species had a pair of small "fangs" protruding from the tip of the snout, thus explaining the common name and synonym. Beyond their fangs, adults of O. rastrosus had comparatively few teeth compared to their smaller, modern relatives, leading scientists to suggest that the adults ate plankton
Plankton
Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...
, unlike their modern relatives.