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Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus), family Petromyzontidae, order Petromyzontiformes, in a stream in the Santa Cruz Mountains, CA, USA

photograph by Anton Sorokin

#agnatha #jawless fish #lamprey #entosphenus #petromyzontidae #petromyzontiformes #petromyzontida #fish #]ichthyology #animals #nature #north america

Pucker Up for the Sea Lamprey!

The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), also known as the vampire fish, is the most famous member of the order of lampreys, Petromyzontiformes. Despite their similar appearance to eels, lampreys are actually jawless fish, and are more closely related to hagfish than eels. To add further confusion, sea lampreys actually reproduce in freshwater rivers and streams, and are only found in the ocean as adults. They are spread along the Atlantic coasts of North America and Europe, as well as the Mediterranean and Black Sea.

Sea lampreys are the largest member of the lamprey family, at an impressive 30 to 100 cm (11.8 to 39.4 in) long and weighing around 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs). They are generally olive or brownish grey, and their bodies are long and smooth. Perhaps P. marinus' most distinctive feature are their mouths, which are wide and circular with teeth arranged in a circle around the tongue and throat. When opened to attach to its prey, the mouth can stretch larger than the lamprey's head.

Vampire fish are widely known for their feeding habits. Adults are parasites that attach themselves to the sides of fish and feat on their victim's blood and tissue. But despite their fearsome appearance, P. marinus has a variety of predators as both juveniles and adults, including sturgeon, catfish, sea lions, seals, sea birds, and northern pikeminnows. Juveniles are particularly vulnerable, as they are smaller and, as deteriorates, are not equipped with the sharp teeth of adults.

Like many other fish, sea lampreys are anadromous, meaning they migrate from salt to freshwater to reproduce. From April to June, males and females travel up river to find rocky beds in which to build nests. Females lay anywhere from 30,000 and 100,000 eggs in their nest, which are then fertilized by multiple males. After mating, both parents die. The larvae take 3 to 8 days to hatch, and the young spend the next 1 to 3 years filter feeding in their home river. Once they reach maturity, they migrate back to the ocean, where they can reside for up to 5 years before returning to their spawning grounds to complete their lifecycle.

Conservation status: The IUCN has rated the sea lamprey as Least Concern. This species is invasive in the Great Lakes region of the United States. However, within its native range it is threatened by habitat degradation and over-fishing.

Photos

Paul Wilson

U.S. National Park Service

Sean Landsman

today's vertebrate.........geotria australis

geotria australis has a big beautiful pouch near his mouth, which he uses for storing his fancy rock collection! he's got many kinds of rocks in there, and it would take me many lifetimes to list even a fraction of them!

don't worry though, the comical amount of rocks inside his sack doesn't impede him from enjoying his other hobbies in any way

shlompiness rating: sack

illustration by W.Wing (?)

what an animal. this might be the animal of all time

#vertebrates #agnatha #fish #jawless fish #lampreys #petromyzontiformes #what an awesome order name. I should name something after it #lamprey

Taxonomy Tournament: Chordata

Myxiniformes. This order is known as hagfish, jawless fish which release slime from their skin to protect themselves from predators. They are the only known living species to have a skull but no vertebral column.

Petromyzontiformes. This order is known as lampreys, which have a toothed funnel-like sucking mouth.

Which clade of animals is better?

Myxiniformes

Petromyzontiformes

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Voting ended onJan 26, 2024