The sea lamprey is a parasitic, jawless, eel-like fish native to the Northern Hemisphere, sometimes called the vampire fish for its feeding habits. It lacks paired fins and instead has a round, sucker-like mouth ringed with sharp teeth that it uses to attach to other fish. It lives along the northern and western Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America, the western Mediterranean and the Black Sea, and adults can reach 120 centimeters and 2.3 kilograms. It reached the Great Lakes through canals built in 1825 and 1919, where it became an invasive and destructive predator on native fish that lack defenses against it.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) System (Realm) Relationship to PeopleInvasive or Introduced Species 3 Living or Extinct Scientific Name Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
In Biome
Lake, Biomes Source Wikipedia: Sea Lamprey
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Africa, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Belgium, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Canada, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Denmark, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: France, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Greece, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Indonesia, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Netherlands, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: North America, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Norway, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Spain, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Sweden, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: United States, found in there.
Sources
1. Sea lamprey (Wikidata)
Wikidata- Wikidata Q385764 (P225 taxon name)
- Wikidata P141 (IUCN conservation status) claim, entity QID Q385764
Statements section, conservation status (P141)
IUCN Red List conservation status (Wikidata property P141): least concern.
- Child Taxon Of: Agnatha, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the Source 2. GBIF Species API
3. Wikipedia: Sea Lamprey
Wikipediaarticle text (relationship to people), EntityId 338921
It was likely introduced to the Great Lakes region through the Erie Canal in 1825 and the Welland Canal in 1919 where it has attacked native fish such as lake trout, lake whitefish, chub, and lake her
- In Biome: Lake, Introduction
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