Jawless fish are a group of fish that belong to the class Agnatha, which includes the lampreys and hagfish.
These fish are characterized by the absence of jaws and paired fins and are among the most ancient fish species that have been in existence for over 500 million years.
Lampreys are parasitic fish that have a long, eel-like body, and they attach themselves to other fish using their sucker-like mouths. They have a round, disk-like mouth with a ring of sharp teeth that they use to attach to fish and feed on their blood and tissue.
Hagfish, on the other hand, are non-parasitic and burrow into the sediments to feed on dead or dying fish and invertebrates.
They have a distinct elongated body and a pair of small fins located at the tail end of their body.
They also have a slime-producing glands which it uses to protect itself from predators by producing large amounts of slime to clog the gills of its predators.
Jawless fish also differ from jawed fish in their method of feeding and digestion. They don’t have teeth that chew food, instead, they have a structure in their gut called “gill rakers” that help to filter food particles out of the water, which allows them to feed on smaller organisms such as plankton.
Jawless fish are not as well-known or well-studied as jawed fish, and they are not as abundant or diverse as jawed fish species. However, they are an important part of the ocean's ecosystem and play a role in the food web as prey for other species.
Jawless fish are considered living fossils, as they have changed very little over hundreds of millions of years and preserve many ancient characteristics.
They are also valuable in studying the evolution of fish and vertebrates in general.
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