Oregon
Oregon Zoo welcoming back the Pacific Lamprey
PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – The Oregon Zoo is welcoming back one of its more ‘unique’ animals, the pacific lamprey.
The zoo said the eel-like fish are one of the Pacific Northwest’s oldest species.
Lamprey have existed for about 400 million years, predating dinosaurs and trees. They have a jawless mouth with sharp yellow teeth and no scales.
They can often be seen at the zoo suctioned onto the glass of their habitat windows.
The lamprey stay at the zoo through the winter and are then moved to tributaries of the upper Columbia and Snake rivers when they’re ready to spawn, helping to rebuild their habitat.
Copyright 2023 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.