| Oncorhynchus rastrosus Temporal range: Late Miocene – Pleistocene | |
|---|---|
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| A restoration of Oncorhynchus rastrosus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Salmoniformes |
| Family: | Salmonidae |
| Genus: | Oncorhynchus |
| Species: | †O. rastrosus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Oncorhynchus rastrosus Cavender & Miller, 1972 | |
| Synonyms | |
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Oncorhynchus rastrosus, also known as the sabertooth salmon, is an extinct 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 2.7 m (9 ft) 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 larger gill rakers compared to their smaller, modern relatives, leading scientists to suggest that the adults ate plankton.
In Popular Culture
Oncorhynchus rastrosus dossier in ARK: Survival Evolved
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