Re: NANFA-- Re: lamprey attack

Dave Neely (rheopresbe_at_hotmail.com)
Sat, 21 Feb 2004 11:49:51 -0600

Chris,

Southern Hemisphere lampreys don't behave like most of the North American
species. Adults of both of the two parasitic Australian lampreys (Geotria
australis and Mordacia mordax) use the denticles on the tongue to shear off
chunks of flesh, and don't feed just on fluids like Petromyzon,
Ichthyomyzon, etc. Geotria is supposedly almost exclusively a flesh-feeder.
They're fast, too. My boss collected some last year, and in the process of
taking some pictures of a large adult, it attached to his thumb and took a
large chunk of tissue out of it (I wish somebody would have gotten video of
this...)!

cheers,
Dave

--
St. Louis, MO

>From: Christopher Scharpf <ichthos_at_comcast.net> >Reply-To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net >To: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net> >CC: <matttcoburn_at_hotmail.com> >Subject: Re: NANFA-- Re: lamprey attack >Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 07:59:53 -0400 > > > As weird sounding as this is, I"m afraid its not that unusual.... it >happens > > all the time, especially when lampreys reach high population densities >or > > when food is very scarce. > >I've never seen this reported in the literature. What is your source for >this, Josh? > >The only story of a lamprey "attacking" a human I've seen is from Scott and >Crossman (1973), in which they report that sea lamprey sometimes attach >themselves to long distance swimmers in the Great Lakes, but only after the >swimmer has been in the water a long time and his or her skin temp. is >lowered. Suffice it to say, I would be EXCEEDDINGLY interested in other >credible stories of lampreys attaching to humans. > > > THey're opportunistic predators, and if they're hungry enough, they'll >attack > > anything -- including a human being. > >I would add a disclaimer to the "opportunistic predator" part. Most >parasitic lampreys have specialized feeding habits. Some species prefer >blood, others flesh, fins, bones, or internal organs. Lampreys also attach >to different parts of a fish depending on whether the lamprey prefers >bodily >fluids or muscle tissue. According to NANFA member Phil Cochran, large >anadromous lampreys tend to attach to the undersides of their hosts, where >fewer scales, thinner muscles, and more numerous blood vessels allow >lampreys to receive more food for less work. Smaller freshwater lampreys in >shallower waters tend to feed on muscle tissue, and attach to the backs of >their hosts, possible to avoid abrasion against the bottom. > >Matt, based on the location of the occurrence you describe, the lamprey >must >have been either the short-headed lamprey (Mordacia mordax), or the pouched >lamprey (Geotria australis). > >Chris Scharpf >Baltimore >/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily >/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes >/ Association" >/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes >Association >/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word >/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to >/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to >/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead. >/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, >http://www.nanfa.org http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200362ave/direct/01/ /----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily / reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes / Association" / This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association / nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word / subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to / nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to / nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead. / For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org