lamprey
Parasitic sucker fish
A lamprey is an eel-like aquatic creature with a jawless, circular mouth lined with teeth, which it uses to attach to fish and feed on their blood.
Lampreys are among the most primitive vertebrates, predating dinosaurs.
Sea lampreys have devastated fish populations in the Great Lakes.
Without a mandible
- eel-likeElongated and sinuous
- elongatedStretched beyond usual dimensions
- cartilaginousComposed of flexible connective tissue
- vertebrateSpinal column animal
slimy · mucus · teeth · funnel-shaped · primitive · notochord · larvae · metamorphosis
Non-saline aquatic environment
- anadromousMigrating upstream to breed
- riverLarge flowing watercourse
- streamSteady continuous flow
- spawningReleasing eggs to reproduce
estuary · Atlantic · Pacific · European · lake · migratory · nest-building · tributary
Organism feeding on plasma
- parasiticExploiting a host organism
- hostOne receiving guests
- attachmentConnection or fondness
- suctionPulling via pressure difference
rasping · wound · scarring · salmon · trout · drain · anemia · anticoagulant
Geologic period, 419-359 million years ago
- SilurianPaleozoic period, mid-range
- PaleozoicEarly complex-life epoch
- fossilPreserved ancient organism
- ancientVery old indeed
ancestral · evolution · primitive · living-fossil · unchanged · Carboniferous
Refined sensitivity or rarity
- medievalOf the Middle Ages
- RomanOf ancient Italy's capital
- smokedExposed to wood fumes
- pickledPreserved in acidic solution
Portuguese · Galician · Finnish · Baltic · Gloucester · traditional
jawless
Without a mandible
- eel-likeElongated and sinuous
- elongatedStretched beyond usual dimensions
- cartilaginousComposed of flexible connective tissue
vertebrate · slimy · mucus · teeth · funnel-shaped · primitive · notochord · larvae · metamorphosis · filter-feeder
freshwater
Non-saline aquatic environment
- anadromousMigrating upstream to breed
- riverLarge flowing watercourse
- streamSteady continuous flow
spawning · estuary · Atlantic · Pacific · European · lake · migratory · nest-building · tributary
bloodsucker
Organism feeding on plasma
- parasiticExploiting a host organism
- hostOne receiving guests
- attachmentConnection or fondness
suction · rasping · wound · scarring · salmon · trout · drain · anemia · anticoagulant · secretion
Devonian
Geologic period, 419-359 million years ago
- SilurianPaleozoic period, mid-range
- PaleozoicEarly complex-life epoch
- fossilPreserved ancient organism
ancient · ancestral · evolution · primitive · living-fossil · unchanged · Carboniferous
delicacy
Refined sensitivity or rarity
pickled · Portuguese · Galician · Finnish · Baltic · Gloucester · traditional
- sea lampreyJawless parasitic fish