Lamprey
Lampreys are jawless fish, whose adults are characterized by a toothed, funnel-like, sucking mouth. Lampreys belong to the order Petromyzontiformes. They live in coastal and fresh waters, and are found in temperate regions around the world.
| Lamprey | |
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| Sea lamprey in Sweden | |
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| Order: | Petromyzontiformes
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| Families and unplaced genera | |
Description
Lampreys are eel-like, scaleless animals. They range from about 15 to 100 centimetres (6 to 40 inches) long. They have well-developed eyes, one or two dorsal fins, a tail fin, a single nostril on top of the head, and seven gill openings on each side of the body. Like the hagfish, they lack bones, jaws, and paired fins. The skeleton of a lamprey consists of cartilage; the mouth is a round, sucking hole with sharp teeth.
Lamprey Media
Sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus
Mouth of a sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus
Median section of Lamprey demonstrating internal anatomy
Microscopic cross section through the pharynx of a larva from an unknown lamprey species
Basic external anatomy of a lamprey
The cartilaginous skeleton of a lamprey washed up on a beach in North Carolina.
The lamprey's light-colored underside and darker back allow it to blend in when viewed from above or below, an example of countershading
Larva of an unknown lamprey species 
A hagfish egg, illustration by Adolphe Millot from Nouveau Larousse Illustré (1897-1904) 
Ammocoetes larva of Lethenteron reissneri
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