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Project Noah Nature School
Petromyzon marinus
Lamprey's live most of their life at sea where they feed by being parasitic on other fish. When it's time to breed and spawn, they go up fresh water rivers, like this one that I found in the Millers River.
Fun fact! The lamprey is a species of jawless fish with mouth that acts like a suction cup allowing it to attach to fish before rasping away flesh with a sharp, probing tongue and its teeth. These bizarre, alien-looking fish have remained virtually unchanged for nearly 300 millions years.
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Marta, they're like salmon that live at sea and swim up rivers to where they were born to lay eggs for the next generation.
Nice! Just one question: how come it was so far from the sea? are they also found in rivers?
The sea lamprey is a parasitic lamprey found on the Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America, in the western Mediterranean Sea, and in the Great Lakes. It is brown, gray, or black on its back and white or gray on the underside and can grow up to 90 cm (35.5 in) long. Sea lampreys prey on a wide variety of fish. The lamprey uses its suction cup-like mouth to attach itself to the skin of a fish and rasps away tissue with its sharp, probing tongue and keratinized teeth. Secretions in the lamprey's mouth prevent the victim's blood from clotting. Victims typically die from excessive blood loss or infection.
What a daunting figure! Interesting to read I can find this in my own backyard!
I don't think they latch to humans, but I suppose it's possible. That would make a good horror movie:-)
I had to look this up to find out more about what a lamprey actually is. They are like leeches of the fish world!! Do they ever latch on to humans??
I was looking for dragonflies at the river so I had my dragonfly net with me. I saw the lamprey moving slowly in the water and used my net to get it out for pictures, then put it back.
Spotted on Jun 18, 2004
Submitted on Feb 7, 2013
