The artwork and publicity materials showcasing a giant salmon that lived five million years ago were ready to go to promote a new exhibit, when the discovery of two fossilized skulls immediately changed what researchers knew about the fish.
"There were these two skulls staring at me with sideways teeth," says Davis, an associate professor in the department of earth sciences at the university."That was definitely a surprising moment," says Davis, who serves as director of the Condon Fossil Collection at the university's Museum of Natural and Cultural History.
It says the salmon used the tusk-like spikes for building nests to spawn, and as defence mechanisms against predators and other salmon. "I like to think … it's almost like a sledgehammer, these salmon swinging their head back and forth in order to fend off things that might want to feast on them," he says.
"Think about how big the would have to be for an animal of this size, and then carving it out in what's probably pretty shallow water; and so having an extra digging tool attached to your head could be really useful."
Edward Davis Publicity Materials University Of Oregon
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Giant prehistoric salmon had tusk-like spikes used for defence, building nests: studyStudy published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One names the extinct fish the ‘spike-toothed salmon’
Source: globebusiness - 🏆 31. / 66 Read more »
Giant prehistoric salmon had tusk-like spikes used for defence, building nests: studyA new paper says a giant salmon that lived five million years ago in the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest used tusk-like spikes as defense mechanisms and for building nests to spawn. The initial fossil discoveries of the 2.
Source: BurnabyNOW_News - 🏆 14. / 77 Read more »
Giant prehistoric salmon had tusk-like spikes used for defence, building nests: studyA new paper says a giant salmon that lived five million years ago in the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest used tusk-like spikes as defense mechanisms and for building nests to spawn. The initial fossil discoveries of the 2.
Source: SooToday - 🏆 8. / 85 Read more »
Giant prehistoric salmon had tusk-like spikes used for defence, building nests: studyA new paper says a giant salmon that lived five million years ago in the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest used tusk-like spikes as defense mechanisms and for building nests to spawn. The initial fossil discoveries of the 2.
Source: timescolonist - 🏆 15. / 75 Read more »
Giant prehistoric salmon had tusk-like spikes used for defence, building nests: studyA new paper says a giant salmon that lived five million years ago in the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest used tusk-like spikes as defense mechanisms and for building nests to spawn. The initial fossil discoveries of the 2.
Source: PGCitizen - 🏆 65. / 51 Read more »
Giant prehistoric salmon had tusk-like spikes used for defence, building nests: studyA new paper says a giant salmon that lived five million years ago in the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest used tusk-like spikes as defense mechanisms and for building nests to spawn.
Source: CTVNews - 🏆 1. / 99 Read more »