A horrible sea creature has been discovered in the waters of New Jersey. What could it be? Looks like it's a nasty sea lamprey - this monster has no jaw and a circular mouth. It sucks the life - literally - out of fish.
A spokeswoman for New York's Department of Environmental Conservation, when asked for a positive ID, stated via email: "The photo doesn't allow counting of gill openings (seven per side for sea lamprey), but based on size alone, this does appear to be a sea lamprey."
"It sucks the life out of fish," reads one of hundreds of comments.
According to the DEC, sea lampreys are eel-like jaw-less and boneless parasites, boasting mouths full of rasping teeth and a file-like tongue.
Juveniles latch onto other fish and drain them of bodily fluids.
Most often, the prey, or host fish, dies as a result of either blood loss or infection.
Of course, when one thinks of lampreys, one is reminded of the story of Roman citizen Vedius Pollio, who supposedly would put his slaves to death by throwing them into a pool of lampreys.
