Sea Lamprey Mouth
The sea lamprey's mouth or buccal funnel contains many sharp teeth which help it to hold to the side of a host fish such as lake trout and whitefish. The sea lamprey's tongue is also covered with teeth which are used to rasp a hole in the fish's flesh. Sea lampreys prefer lake trout because the small, soft scales are easily removed. The sea lamprey secretes an anticoagulant and then feeds on the body fluids.
Depending on such factors as the number of attacks and the site and length of time of attachment, a host fish may be either scarred or killed. It is estimated that a sea lamprey destroys about 40 pounds of fish before reaching adulthood.
Photo by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service staff
To return to Sea Lamprey Management - Past, Present and Future, click here.
