#their filter feeding apparatus becomes a thyroid gland too!!?!?? thats so insane!!!!! what wonderful animals i cant believe im only now -
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fishyfishyfishtimes · 10 months ago
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Daily fish fact #685
Lampreys!
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While some lampreys turn to a parasitic lifestyle as adults, drilling into the sides of bigger animals to feed on their flesh and blood, lamprey larvae, ammocoetes, are actually filter feeders! The lamprey larva life stage can last up to a decade, and they spend their time being half-buried in sandy substrate, consuming whatever tiny organic particles float to them. Ammocoetes' feeding rate is the slowest of any suspension-feeding animal, and due to this they require a habitat very rich in nutrients.
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