Marine Animal #2: The Sea Lamprey
This article is dedicated to Mrs. Gibbs! Hope you like sea lampreys... :-)
Ah, yes. One of the many vampires of the ocean. Previously, I covered Idiacanthus antrostomus, the Pacific Blackdragon. If that wasn't terrifying enough, here's another wonderful spectacle from the ocean depths -- Petromyzon marinus.
The sea lamprey is a jawless, eel-like fish that resides in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Great Lakes. (That means if I live in Oregon my whole life, I'll probably never see a sea lamprey in person. Phew.) Entirely parasitic, this species tortures other organisms for a living. You know, kinda' like mosquitoes. Substances discharged from a lamprey's toothy mouth disable blood clotting. This ensures a long, painful and agonizing death.
Their aggressiveness has caused problems since decades ago, and scientists are just now discovering control methods. They are invasive to Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Sea lampreys annihilated predator populations such as lake trout + herring in the 30's and 40's. This allowed other parasitic creatures to hop in and increase their numbers quite substantially.
But, as always, humans caused the real damage. Canals allowed the lampreys to migrate. Irresponsible fishing practices pushed the small, interconnected ecosystem out of balance for good. For half a century, the Great Lakes have been struggling to keep their natural habitats in sync.
So whenever you think lampreys are annoying, pointless bloodsuckers, consider the human race.
Ah, yes. One of the many vampires of the ocean. Previously, I covered Idiacanthus antrostomus, the Pacific Blackdragon. If that wasn't terrifying enough, here's another wonderful spectacle from the ocean depths -- Petromyzon marinus.
The sea lamprey is a jawless, eel-like fish that resides in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Great Lakes. (That means if I live in Oregon my whole life, I'll probably never see a sea lamprey in person. Phew.) Entirely parasitic, this species tortures other organisms for a living. You know, kinda' like mosquitoes. Substances discharged from a lamprey's toothy mouth disable blood clotting. This ensures a long, painful and agonizing death.
Their aggressiveness has caused problems since decades ago, and scientists are just now discovering control methods. They are invasive to Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Sea lampreys annihilated predator populations such as lake trout + herring in the 30's and 40's. This allowed other parasitic creatures to hop in and increase their numbers quite substantially.
But, as always, humans caused the real damage. Canals allowed the lampreys to migrate. Irresponsible fishing practices pushed the small, interconnected ecosystem out of balance for good. For half a century, the Great Lakes have been struggling to keep their natural habitats in sync.
So whenever you think lampreys are annoying, pointless bloodsuckers, consider the human race.
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