Adaptations
Closely resembling an eel found in the ocean, the Silver Lamprey is highly suited for the Northern, freshwater environment and the diet of other fish species.
Teeth
This serpentine organism features a set of sharp teeth
made for latching and holding onto its host organism while it feasts on the
host’s blood and muscle tissue (Robison et al. 2011).
The teeth are such a prominent feature of the Silver Lamprey, that its
scientific name, Ichthyomyzon unicuspis, actually describes the circumoral
teeth shape and arrangement (Robison et al. 2011). The lamprey also employs
a tooth-bearing piston that it uses to effectively open a hole in the host
in order to extract the blood or muscle tissue that is necessary for the
nutrition of the lamprey (Bartels et al. 2012). For more information
about the mouth structure of a lamprey, click on this
link.
Body Structure
Another distinguishing feature of this amazing, aquatic
parasite is its snake-like form made for ease of movement through the
water. It is most common to find anywhere between 46 to 55 myomeres per
lamprey (Robison et al. 2011). Whenever you eat fish, you are eating its
myomeres as the myomeres of a fish are simply the folds of muscle that give
the fish its flaky texture and usually white appearance (Encyclopedia
Britanica 2014). The Silver Lamprey also sports a dorsal fin that is
undivided and runs along roughly the entire posterior half of the lamprey
(Robison et al. 2011). Like all fish, this fin aids in locomotion through
the fluid-filled environment that it lives in. The Silver Lamprey uses a
method of swimming called anguilliform swimming which is a fancy way of
saying that two vortexes are produce per tail-beat in the wake of the
lamprey; most other fish only produce one vortex per tail-beat (Leftwich et
al. 2011). As an added bonus, the lamprey does not have a
hard time wriggling into the branchial cavity of some fish where it is often
found. The slender profile and scaleless skin also creates an advantage for
this parasite because it means that it creates less drag (Leftwich et al.
2011). For example,
these organisms spend much of their time being dragged around by the host,
so if the lamprey had too much drag, it would not only be harder for the
lamprey to hold on, but it would also take more of a toll on the energy
reserves of the host which may kill the host and leave the lamprey without
food.
Shown above is the Silver Lamprey.
To find additional information, check out the Nutrition page.