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Sea Lamprey: Aquatic Life In The Great Lakes

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A vampire will slowly drain your blood, a Sea Lamprey does the same for aquatic life. This invasive species bites onto a fish with its suction mouth that is with 12 sets of teeth. Then it uses its tongue to get beneath the skin of its prey and releases an enzyme to prevent the clotting of blood so that it receives more food whilst eating. Also, one female lamprey can lay an abundance of eggs, up to 10,000 eggs in one mating season. The Sea Lamprey has no weaknesses in the Great Lakes. Even so, humans are able to control it and stop this marine epidemic.

Sea lamprey did not originate in the Great Lakes, and they came here to cause trouble. This parasite originated in the Atlantic ocean. Even there, the lamprey was not very important in the food chain as it just fed on the other aquatic lifeforms. The Niagara falls had served as a natural barrier to prevent the Sea Lamprey from invading the lakes, but when the Welland Canal opened up in 1829, Sea Lampreys quickly swam to lake Ontario and started to feast. So, if the sea lampreys hadn’t found a way in, they wouldn’t currently be devastating marine life. …show more content…

Firstly, they will kill fish which is quite in opposition of attraction for tourists. Also, as they get food, they force beloved species to decline into near extinction such as the trout. A third example is that when a sea lamprey kills its prey, they take away that fish from commercial use. Sea Lamprey has no sustenance for marine

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