Science
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3 days agoWhy Not Have A Rod Of Teeth On Your Forehead For Sex Reasons? | Defector
Spotted ratfish possess dermal denticles, grinding tooth plates, and a retractable forehead tenaculum tipped with teeth used during mating.
The spotted ratfish is a two-foot-long fish with a big head and a long, skinny tail that lives in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. It belongs to a group of fish called chimaeras that are closely related to sharks. (Chimaeras are sometimes called ghost sharks.) Like most vertebrate creatures, it has teeth in its mouth. Unlike other vertebrates it also has teeth in another location: its forehead. It uses these forehead teeth for sex.