The Hagfish and Lamprey

The first time I heard about a hagfish was on Sponge Bob Square Pants.  My mother was wrong, you can learn something from watching Sponge Bob.

Check out Madame Hagfish! 







Today, I am going to talk about TWO kinds of fish called the Lamprey and the hagfish.  They are known as jawless fish.  Fish without jaws were the first vertebrates on earth which lived on the seabed and sucked up their food.  Most jawless fish died about three million years ago ; however, the Lampreys and Hagfish still exist.  Both the Lampreys and the Hagfish have bodies like snakes, round mouths, and tiny eyes.  They also have slimy skin and no scales.  The openings for their gills are shaped like portholes. 

Portholes

At the bottom are pictures of the Lamprey and the Hagfish  (They are definitely "Freaks of Nature").   I bet you can't tell which one is my favorite. It will be HARD.



Hagfish are deep sea scavengers which feed on dead or dying fish.  They have very poor eye sight. However, they have an excellent sense of smell which helps them to find food.  They often slither right inside their prey. The Hagfish does not have jaws, but it has small teeth that it uses to eat its prey from the inside.  It releases a smelly slime as a defense which makes it hard for a predator to grab hold of  it.  The slime is very strong and hard to remove.  To remove the slime, the Hagfish ties its body in a knot which makes the slime slip down to its tail. The Hagfish is known for its ability to produce vast amounts of slime.  The slime comes from the glands that line both sides of the Hagfish body.  The slime comes out in a concentrated form but swells when it contacts seawater.
                                                                              Maybe they need glasses!


Hagfish Slime.This is gross!  The Hagfish all tied up!
The Hagfish has four hearts and its color can be either pink, brown or grey.  I guess if one heart does not work it has three others.  Hagfish lay long eggs and their young look like small adults when they are hatched.  Young Hagfish have both male and female organs but as they age they become male or female.  However, they are able to change gender from one season to another. There are currently sixty seven known species of Hagfish. 

THIS IS MY FAVORITE

A Hagfish

  

                                                     

Lampreys can be found in temperate rivers and sea coasts.  They have dark brown to black backs and light yellow to light brown bellies.  There are about forty three species of Lampreys.  Some species live in fresh water for their entire life and others migrate from fresh water to the sea.  Adult Lampreys are parasites that feed on the blood of other fish.  They have a funnel like sucking mouth and sharp teeth for holding onto their prey.  Lampreys can hold onto their  prey for weeks while taking so much blood that their prey will die. I think the Lamprey has a lot in common with Dracula.

The Lamprey young are born in rivers.  The lamprey young are also blind and toothless.  The young spend up to six years filtering food from the water before they become adults.  When Sea Lamprey young become adults they travel downriver to the sea.

I KNOW IT'S SCARY!!!!!!!:(

A Lamprey funnel like mouth.                        Lots of Lampreys.

Now it is time to say GOODBYE.

I had a lot of fun learning about Hagfish and Lampreys.  I hope that you learned a lot from my post.......THAT LAMPREYS AND HAGFISH ARE SCARY!!!!!!!!!!!

African Elephant

Today, I am going to talk about the African Elephant, its seven classifications,and its scientific name. Before I get started, let me tell you some facts about the African elephant.  The African Elephant is GIGANTIC.  It is the world's largest land animal.  They can grow up to 12 feet and weigh 650 pounds.  They eat all kinds of plants and they are found in Africa.  They are grey and have long trunks and tusks .

These are the seven classifications for the African Elephant.

 

Common Name: African Elephant

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Proboscidea

Family: Elephantidae

Genus: Loxadonta

Species: africana

Scientific Name: Loxadonta africana

If you said "Hey what is a scientific name?" or "I never have heard these words, what are they?" Well you're going to find out the answer to your question.

  

A Scientific Name is how scientists classify living things, examples are: plants,animals, fungi, protist. The reason why they use scientific names is to avoid confusion among scientists who speak different languages.  To make a scientific name you have to first put the genus and then the species together.

The domain is Eukaryota.  The members of this domain all have cells with a nucleus that contains genetic material. The members include all animals, all plants, all fungi, all protist.  However, archae and bacteria do not belong to this kingdom.

   


The kingdom is Animalia.  All animals are members of the Kingdom Animalia. This Kingdom does not contain plants, bacteria, fungi and protist. All members of the Animalia Kingdom have many cells which have a nucleus inside a membrane.  These cells do not have cell walls. The animals, also rely directly or indirectly on other organisms for their food.


 

The Phylum is chordata.  These animals are vertebrates and invertebrates.  They have spinal and a post-anal tail.

The class is Mammalia.   Members of this class are vertebrates and mammals.  This means that they have a backbone and spinal column. All mammals are warm-blooded. Mammals do not have feathers but are covered with fur or hairy skin. Mammal bones are solid.  All female mammals have mammary glands which produce milk for their young.

The order is Proboscidea.  Which means extraordinary noses. It's a nose, it's a tool, no, it's an elephant's trunk! The order of Proboscideahas has been named after the organ which fascinates everyone who watch it; the proboscis, or nose.  Animals in this order are massive.




The family is Elephantidae. Animals in this family have five toes.  

The Genus is Loxodonta.  Animals in this Genus have enormous flapping ears and ivory tusks.                                                                                              

African Elephant

                                                                              

Asian Elephant

 

The species is africana. African Elephants live on the savannas or grasslands of Africa. They are herbivores, and feed on grasses, fruits, tree leaves, bark, shrubs, and vines.

     Grasslands
 Savanna

I chose the African elephant for this post because he is big and strong like me.  Also the elephant is the mascot of my favorite football team, the Alabama Crimson Tide.  Roll Tide !!!!!!