12 Photos Of Strange Animals You Probably Didn't Know Exist

Lamprey: The sea lamprey an ancient Atlantic fish that wreaked havoc on the Great Lakes—may be America's first destructive invasive species. The rasping mouth of the sea lamprey, an infamous Great Lakes invader. Among the most primitive of all vertebrate species, the sea lamprey is a parasitic fish native to the northern and western Atlantic Ocean. Due to their similar body shapes, lampreys are sometimes inaccurately called lamprey eels. Unlike bony fishes like trout, cod, and herring, lampreys lack scales, fins, and gill covers. Like sharks, their skeletons are made of cartilage. They breathe through a distinctive row of seven pairs of tiny gill openings located behind their mouths and eyes.