Fossils of Ancient Dolphins Show Sharp Tusk-Like Front Teeth Used for Feeding, Hunting [STUDY]

(Photo: Pexels/HAMID ELBAZ)
Fossils of Ancient Dolphins Show Sharp Tusk-Like Front Teeth Used for Feeding, Hunting [STUDY]

Ancient dolphins had a unique set of teeth that wasn't observed in the modern ones. According to a new report, they had tusk-like teeth that they used for feeding.

Ancient Dolphins With Tusk-Like Front Teeth

Researchers have identified a new species of ancient dolphin with "unique" tusk-like teeth suggesting the presence of a feeding strategy used by marine animals previously unknown to science. The newly discovered species has been given the name Nihohae matakoi (pronunciation: nee-ho-ha-eh ma-ta-koy), Newsweek reported.

In allusion to the potential use of the teeth, the genus name is derived from the Maori words "Niho" for teeth and "Hae" for slashing. On the other hand, the name of the species was derived from the Maori terms "Mata" for face or point and "Koi" for sharp, in allusion to the dolphin's long, flat, and narrow snout, which ends in pointed sharp teeth.

The teeth in the front of the dolphin's mouth protrude horizontally, making this ancient species exceedingly distinctive. According to Ambre Coste, a researcher with the Department of Geology at the University of Otago in New Zealand and one of the study's authors, this extinct dolphin species is scarce because it possesses teeth, which are not present in any extant dolphins.

Researchers looked at a collection of fossils held by the University of Otago (UO) Geology Museum in New Zealand. The fossils were first discovered in New Zealand's South Island in the Awamoko Valley in 1998. The find also includes ribs, vertebral bones, and a skull and jaw.

The dolphin's remarkably well-preserved head and jaw provide valuable insight into its potential eating patterns, Coste continued.

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How The Dolphin Used Its Unique Front Teeth?

This peculiar adaptation offers a window into the survival techniques employed by this extinct dolphin when it was alive. This species likely stunned and injured its little prey with the help of its fangs before consuming them.

According to Coste, the intriguing feature of this dolphin is that it may have a novel feeding strategy that hasn't yet been observed in marine mammals. Their hypothesis is that it quickly swung its head from side to side to harm or paralyze victims, making them simpler to grab and consume.

The researchers concluded the animal's feeding technique probably entailed slight tearing and chewing. The dolphin's teeth show no signs of wear, which suggests that it targeted small, soft-bodied prey like squid.

The lack of wear marks on the teeth indicates that it did not use them to dig through sand, and the flatness of the front teeth suggests that it did not utilize them to grasp prey as the Ganges river dolphin does.

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.