Tag: characteristics of vertebrates

The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) is a parasitic lamprey found in the northern Atlantic Ocean along shores of Europe and North America, in the western Mediterranean sea and in the shores of the Great Lakes. It belongs to superclass Agnatha (It is a superclass of jawless fishes). It is brown, gray, or black on its back and white or gray on the underside. The lamprey uses its suction cup-like mouth to attach itself to the skin of a fish and rasps away tissue with its sharp, probing tongue and keratinized teeth.

Petromyzen or Lamprey is a living fossil. The sea lamprey lacks bony teeth and jaws. It has an oral armament of conical teeth made of keratin. The lamprey even has teeth on its tongue. The oral apparatus of the adult lamprey is a sucking disk lined with whorls of over 100 of these teeth. 

Cyclostomata is a group of chordates that comprises the living jawless fishes - the lampreys and hagfishes. These fishes are a parasite as well as scavengers. The body is long, then tubular and tail is flat. They are also known as false fish.

Adult lamprey may be characterised by toothed, funnel like sucking mouth. The common name 'lamprey' is probably derived from latin, 'lampetro' which may mean stone licker.

Petromyzon (lampreys) are all carnivorous and are true predators. The method of attack is very peculiar. It attack fishes, turtles etc and it attach themselves by suctorial mouth which is circular in shape. Mouth acts a sucker, it rasps the flesh of the prey with its tongue. Teeth which are situated around the mouth sink into the flesh of the prey and serve it to hold properly. 

Metazoa is the term given to the fully developed complex organism having tissue level organization. Kingdom Animalia is considered as metazoa. All the members of this kingdom are multicellular, eukaryotes. They are heterotrophs, they depend on other organisms directly or indirectly for food. Most of the organisms are motile which means they can move independently and spontaneously. 

Vertebrata is the most important part of chordate and is distinguished by a backbone (made either of bone or cartilage) having bones known as vertebrae and a skull enclosing a brain. The nervous system is entirely protected by these structures and also maintains the shape of the body.

Vertebrata is the most important part of chordate and is distinguished by a backbone (made either of bone or cartilage) having bones known as vertebrae and a skull enclosing a brain. The nervous system is entirely protected by these structures and also maintains the shape of the body.

In bioluminescence, stored chemical energy on oxidation emits lights.