For a long time, specialists in the study of fish and marine creatures, as well as fishermen and coastal residents, have observed a very strange phenomenon with no clear explanation.
Namely, the presence of circular wounds carved into the bodies of fish, penetrating deep into their flesh. In some cases, fish bear multiple such markings, with some still alive in the water while others are found dead along the shores.
Not only that, but they also discovered these circular wounds on the bodies of large marine creatures such as dolphins and sharks.
The creature before you is the (lamprey fish). At first glance, it may seem like an ordinary sea creature resembling an eel harmless and unassuming. However, the moment you look at it from below, specifically at its mouth, you’ll be met with a truly terrifying sight.
Lamprey
The lamprey, also known as the "stone sucker," is a type of marine animal belonging to the class Agnatha (jawless fish). Its length ranges from 13 cm to 1 meter. This creature has a remarkably simple structure its entire body is made of cartilage, completely lacking bones and paired fins like other fish. It also has a slow, sluggish movement.
How do lampreys breathe?
It has a single nasal opening along with seven additional breathing holes on each side, which serve as a substitute for gills.
Despite all this, the lamprey possesses a deadly weapon that it relies on for nearly every aspect of its life. In fact, this weapon is the primary reason for the lamprey’s survival to this day especially when you consider that, despite its seemingly primitive features, the lamprey has existed on Earth for over 360 million years.
Lamprey mouth
Lamprey fish have a round mouth that contains dozens of sharp teeth made of keratin and proteins. Alongside these teeth, there is a pointed tongue composed of three parts, resembling an auger.
Additionally, the outer rim of the mouth is very smooth, which allows it to adhere to surfaces, even attaching itself to rocks. There are many clips showing lamprey fish hanging and clinging to rocks through their mouths, which is why they are often referred to as "stone suckers."
How does a lamprey use its mouth?
A creature like this will not settle for simply clinging to rocks. The lamprey attacks various types of fish, including salmon, catfish, trout, and others. As soon as it spots them, it attaches itself, and no matter how hard these fish try to escape, all their attempts fail.
At this point, the lamprey uses its sharp tongue to pierce the fish’s body, creating openings. Once it reaches the blood, it begins to suck it along with the other fluids in the fish’s body.
During this process, the lamprey secretes anticoagulant substances from its mouth that prevent the blood from clotting quickly, allowing it to draw as much as it wants similar to the mechanism used by mosquitoes, but on a larger scale.
After completing its task, the lamprey detaches from the fish and descends to the bottom, leaving the fish riddled with deep, circular wounds that are enough to end its life.
Lampreys attack dolphins and sharks
What’s astonishing is that this strange creature does not limit itself to small or large creatures alone; it also penetrates the bodies of massive fish like dolphins, sharks, and even whales.
Indeed, many dolphins and sharks have been spotted with circular bruises on their bodies due to the lamprey’s bites, and the same has been observed with whales.
In 1950, a strange incident occurred while a group of researchers were examining a number of whales along the coast of Vancouver Island in Canada. They noticed marks from the lamprey’s teeth on the bodies of massive whales such as the humpback whale, sperm whale, and fin whale, which is the second-largest whale in the world after the blue whale.
However, the difference between these large sea creatures and smaller fish is that these massive creatures possess a distinctive trait: their wounds heal very quickly, allowing them to recover from the lamprey's bites.
What’s strange is that researchers found the bodies of sharks and dolphins with similar circular, hollow openings, but these were much larger and deeper, to the point where some dolphins died due to the severity of these wounds.
This led researchers to suspect the presence of another marine creature attacking in the same manner as the lamprey, but this time it was slightly larger and more aggressive. Their suspicions turned out to be correct.
Cookiecutter shark
If the lamprey is a bit frightening to you, let us introduce you to the cookiecutter shark. This creature has such a strange appearance that you might imagine it as a fictional being straight out of a movie.
In reality, the cookiecutter shark is a small species of shark, with an average length ranging from just 42 cm to 56 cm. However, despite its size, it possesses very strange physical traits.
Initially, this shark has 37 small teeth in the upper row and around 31 teeth in the lower row, shaped like sharp triangles. But these teeth are not individual like those of other sharks; each tooth regenerates on its own.
All of this shark's teeth are connected to each other, forming a single structure resembling a saw. To imagine just how brutal it is, when this type of shark renews its teeth, it swallows its old tooth structure entirely and digests it to benefit from the nutrients, like calcium, contained within.
Trying to catch a cookie shark
The cookiecutter shark has an important feature: it emits certain lights or glows that attract larger fish to its location, making the process similar to a trap. When the fish approaches, the shark immediately attacks, taking a bite and then disappearing without a trace, leaving behind a wound in the prey’s body that can reach a depth of 7 cm.
Why is the cookiecutter shark called this name?
The cookiecutter shark gets its name from the deep, circular wound it leaves behind, resembling a cookie cut-out. Its bite is larger and deeper than the wound caused by the lamprey.