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EveryFish

Jawless fish

Lampreys and hagfish, the only living fish without jaws, survivors of the earliest branch of fish.

Also: Agnatha, cyclostomes

The first fish, over 480 million years ago, had no jaws. Today only two groups remain: the lampreys and the hagfish, together about 120 species. They have long, eel-like bodies, no paired fins, no true bones and a skeleton of cartilage. Lampreys have a round, sucking mouth lined with horny teeth; many species latch onto other fish and feed on their blood. Hagfish live on the sea floor, scavenging dead animals, and can tie themselves in knots. The sea lamprey caused great damage after it entered the Great Lakes of North America.

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