What is a sea lamprey?
The sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, which is a descendant of the earliest known type of vertebrates, is a parasitic species of eel-like fish native to the Atlantic Ocean and the East Coast of North America. Because of their eel-like shape, lamprey are sometimes confused with eels, but they are not eels at all.
Is the lamprey eel from Latvian Carnikava protected by the EU?
^ “Lamprey eel from Latvian Carnikava included on EU’s Protected Designations of Origin list”. The Baltic Course. 23 February 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015. ^ “Lamprey”.
Do sea lampreys feed on Balaenoptera?
“Feeding of sea lampreys Petromyzon marinus on minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata in the St Lawrence Estuary”. Journal of Fish Biology. 78 (1): 338–343. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2010.02842.x.
Why are lampreys called nine-eyed eels?
In folklore, lampreys are called “nine-eyed eels”. The name is derived from the seven external gill slits that, along with one nostril and one eye, line each side of a lamprey’s head section.
What is a sea lamprey? The sea lamprey—an ancient Atlantic fish that wreaked havoc on the Great Lakes—may be America’s first destructive invasive species. The rasping mouth of the sea lamprey, an infamous Great Lakes invader. Image credit: Ted Lawrence/Great Lakes Fishery Commission
How does a lamprey kill fish?
The lamprey then uses its rough tongue to rasp away the fish’s flesh so it can feed on its host’s blood and body fluids. One lamprey kills about 40 pounds of fish every year.
Who controls sea lampreys in the Great Lakes?
Today, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission coordinates control of sea lampreys in the lakes, which is conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
How does a sea lamprey breathe?
They breathe through a distinctive row of seven pairs of tiny gill openings located behind their mouths and eyes. But the anatomical trait that makes the sea lamprey an efficient killer of lake trout and other bony fishes is its disc-shaped, suction-cup mouth, ringed with sharp, horny teeth, with which it latches on to an unfortunate fish.