A species that might be mistaken for an American eel is the sea lamprey. They generally look similar. The mouth of the sea lamprey, however, is a sucker disk on the inferior side. It is used to attach itself to a fish and cut into the body, sucking out it's blood. The fish usually dies from blood loss or infection. Compare the mouth of this creature with that of the eel in yesterday's post.
I had no idea they were indigenous to the Chesapeake Bay until I saw a great blue heron catch one. I mistook it for an eel until I looked at the photograph closer and saw the sucker disk on the underside of the lamprey. It wasn't long after the first incident that I saw the same heron catch a second lamprey. I'm not sure how common they are in the watershed, but since the Bay is open to the sea, it shouldn't be surprising that they are present.
No comments:
Post a Comment