What is Sea Lamprey?

A marine biologist in The Netherlands, Jaco Havermans, recently spotted a rare sea lamprey on a beach. The sea lamprey, which is a parasitic fish, was found for the first time in six years. It was given to Ecomare, a nature museum and aquarium.

What is a Sea Lamprey?

The sea lamprey, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is a parasitic fish that is native to the northern and western Atlantic Ocean. Unlike other fish, lampreys lack scales, fins, and gill covers, and their skeletons are made of cartilage. The sea lamprey is often confused with eels due to its physical appearance.

How was the Sea Lamprey Found?

Marine biologist Jaco Havermans found the three-foot-long sea lamprey as he walked along the beach located about 65 miles north of Amsterdam. The fish doesn’t have a proper bottom jaw but a copious amount of teeth, which it uses to rasp away other fish’s flesh so it can feed on its host’s blood and body fluids.

About Sea Lamprey

The sea lamprey is a member the Agnatha, the oldest group of vertebrates that existed more than 400 million years ago, before the existence of fish with jaws. The fish is considered to be a pest as it attacks other fish to suck their blood out, killing about 40 pounds of fish every year.

Month: Current Affairs – April, 2023

Category: Science & Technology Current Affairs