PRESENTATION OUTLINE
CHARACTERISTICS
- Slinder, eel-shaped body.
- 7 external gill openings.
- The notochord persists in the adult.
- Skeleton is composed of cartilage.
- There are no paired fins.
UNIQUE BODY FEATURES
- They have a light sensitive pineal eye.
- A pineal eye is a third eye.
- Fertilization of eggs takes place outside the body.
- Cartilage skeleton.
- No scales, smooth, slimy skin to escape predators.
Habitat:
Jawless fish has various habitats, some live in fresh streams or lakes while other live at the bottom of the ocean and some in the deep sea or in caves in the sea. Some jawless fish eat other dead fish while some suck the mud.
Food Source
Does not have an actual existing stomach. They feed by ingesting food in their mouth. Metabolism is very slow in. Feed mostly on dead or dying fishes by boring into their prey and eating them from the inside out.
Range:
Jawless fish are generally marine and also will be found either on thier host's bodies or for hagfish, in dens on the on the substrate. Sea lamprey is the most sought species in Portugal. Also found in Lake Champlain.
Predators
It is said that the Sea Lamprey doesn't have any predators at the moment. Hagfish are a popular food time for sea lions, seals, dolphins, porpoises, and octopus.
