Trivia question for Mar-27-2011

Carter picked this odd looking fish for his trivia.  Let’s see how he does.  These guys leave the sea and travel far up river and streams for spawning.  They are blood-sucking parasites that attaches to a host with its suction cup.  Unlike most fish, it lacks scales, paired fins and jaws.

These fish have long been used as food for humans. They were highly appreciated by ancient Romans. During the Middle Ages, they were widely eaten by the upper classes throughout Europe, especially during fasting periods, since their taste is much meatier than that of most true fish.

So here are Carter’s questions.  How many eyes does this weird looking fish have and how high of a vertical barrier can these guys scale?  Also, tell us what common practice is used to block upstream migration of these invasive species?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations to Valerie for getting the answer submitted first.  The odd looking fish we featured is the Marine Lamprey.  Lampreys (sometimes also called lamprey eels) are jawless fish, whose adults are characterized by a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth. Translated from an admixture of Latin and Greek, lamprey means stone lickers.

As for the number of eyes these guys have, the answer is two.  And the answer of how high they can climb to traverse a wall or tall object, is 6-feet.  Amazing.  Here is more on these parasitic eel looking fish: Lamprey

Thanks for playing along 😉