Agnatha

Christine Yin

I like…(lamprey)…to spend my time looking for a prey to latch onto. I have 12 rows of pearly whites and once I attach myself to you, I don’t let go until death parts us.

(hagfish)…to find prey that I can burrow myself into. I like to get myself out of “slippery” situations by tying myself into a knot and escaping from my protective coat of slime. I can always provide you with food by using my slime to suffocate prey.

I can be found…(lamprey)

…you can find me in any of the Great Lakes,

and the ocean. I need a salt water

environment where I can find my prey

and feed.

(hagfish)

…you can find me at the bottom of the

ocean at approximately 4,000 feet. I prefer

a soft bed so that I can burrow when I

spot a predator.

You can find me…(lamprey)

…attached to other fish. I am technically considered a parasite because

I attach myself to other animals and feed off of their flesh.

(hagfish)

…preying on unsuspecting fish and burrow myself into the fish. I then

use my special tongue to eat the creature from the inside out.

Sometimes I like to play hide and seek in fish, and the reactions of the

fishermen are hilarious when they find that they have a catch of hollow

fish full of my kind.

My ancestors…

…left me the lack of a jaw, paired appendages, and bones. This

is in a way to my advantage because I am able to move

smoothly like a snake, and I can feed differently. My kind gave

way to the modern fish.

I am unique because…(lamprey)

…I lack a jaw and have a buccal funnel instead. This allows me

to have better suction on my prey, and dig in with my 12 rows of

teeth.

(hagfish)

…my slime keeps me protected from

others, and also serves as a way to

smother my prey. This slime is

versatile and has kept

me around for so long.

I am looking for…

…a mate who shares the same qualities as me, so that I may

continue my family line. I am looking for a mate that is clingy and

can enjoy grabbing onto a nice big fish with me.

Picture Resources• http://www.itsnature.org/sea/fish/hagfish/• http://news.softpedia.com/newsImage/The-Sea-Lamprey-Sheds-One-Fifth-of-Its-Genome-W

hen-it-Grows-2.jpg/• http://www.activistangler.com/journal/tag/great-lakes?currentPage=6• http://www.whaletimes.org/HagfishDayInterviewJeffreyDrazenHagfish.htm• http://mrwrightsclass.net/projects/period4/macie_jamie_lauren/Jawless/jawless.html• http://www.redorbit.com/education/reference_library/science_1/fish/2580348/

sea_lamprey/