Facts about Lampreys

1. 07

   In 1921, the parasitic Sea Lamprey was first documented in the Great Lakes after traveling through the Welland Canal, subsequently causing the collapse of the lake trout population by 1960.

   LampreysMay 14shareinvasivehistoryecology
2. 06

   Lamprey eyes lack eyelids and are positioned on the sides of their head, giving them nearly 360-degree vision to detect movement in murky river environments.

   LampreysMay 14shareanatomysensoryadaptation
3. 05

   Lampreys possess a primitive brain with only 10 pairs of cranial nerves, making their nervous system significantly less complex than most modern fish species.

   LampreysMay 14sharebiologyneurologyanatomy
4. 04

   During their larval stage, lampreys spend up to 7 years buried in river sediment as filter-feeding ammocoetes before transforming into parasitic adults.

   LampreysMay 14sharelifecyclebiologydevelopment
5. 03

   The Sea Lamprey can migrate over 1,000 kilometers upstream in rivers during their spawning season to reach freshwater breeding grounds.

   LampreysMay 14sharemigrationbiologyreproduction
6. 02

   Lampreys have existed for over 360 million years, making them older than dinosaurs and virtually unchanged since the Devonian period.

   LampreysMay 14shareancientevolutionbiology
7. 01

   A lamprey's mouth contains 100 to 120 keratinous teeth arranged in concentric circles that it uses to bore into fish and feed on their blood.

   LampreysMay 14shareanatomybiologypredation