Definition/Summary:
Lampreys
- Sometimes inaccurately called, lamprey eels
- Any jawless fish of the order Petromyzontiformes, placed in the superclass Cyclostomata
- The adult lamprey has a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth
- The common name “lamprey” is probably derived from Latin lampetra, which may mean “stone licker”
Expanded info:
- 38 known extant species of lampreys
- Parasitic species are the best known, and feed by boring into the flesh of other fish to suck their blood
- 18 of these species of lampreys are parasitic
- Adults of the non-parasitic species do not feed; they live off reserves acquired as ammocoetes (larvae), which they obtain through filter feeding.