Sea lamprey

The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) is a parasitic lamprey found in the northern Atlantic Ocean along shores of Europe and North America, in the western Mediterranean Sea, and in the shores of the Great Lakes. It is brown, gray, or black on its back and white or gray on the underside and can grow up to 90 cm (35.5 in) long. After several years in freshwater habitats, the larvae undergo a metamorphosis that allows young postmetamorphic lampreys to migrate to the sea or lakes and start the hematophagous feeding. Some individuals can start the hematophagous feeding in the river before migrating to the sea, where sea lampreys prey on a wide variety of fish. The lamprey uses its suction cup-like mouth to attach itself to the skin of a fish and rasps away tissue with its sharp, probing tongue and keratinized teeth. Secretions in the lamprey's mouth prevent the victim's blood from clotting. Victims typically die from excessive blood loss or infection. After 1 year of hematophagous feeding, lampreys return to the river to spawn and die, one year and a half after the completion of metamorphosis. Lampreys are considered a delicacy in some parts of Europe, including South-Western France, but are not commonly eaten in the Americas.

River Monsters

River Monsters is a British and American wildlife documentary television programme produced for Animal Planet by Icon Films of Bristol, United Kingdom. Hosted by extreme angler and biologist Jeremy Wade who travels around the globe in search of the most fearsome freshwater killers. Looking for clues, eyewitnesses and stories about people who were dragged underwater by these vicious predators, he tries to catch the biggest specimens and then release them back to the wild. His aim is to save these rare creatures from extinction and to help people understand the truth behind the horrific attacks on humans.

River Monsters became one of the most watched, most successful programmes in Animal Planet's history, and one of the most viewed series on Discovery Channel too. In the US, only the shortened version is shown and some animals Jeremy shows are just cut off. These missing scenes are shown only when it premieres on ITV (originally on on Sundays ITV1) in the UK.

Series preview

River Monsters travels worldwide with Suffolk-born British host, biologist, adventurer and extreme angler Jeremy Wade to explore rivers and lakes to uncover the creatures behind local folklore and harrowing tales of monster fish. The show has taken viewers to Germany, Spain, Italy, Scotland, Iceland, Norway, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, India, Japan, Russia, Suriname, Brazil, Ethiopia, Uganda, South Africa, the Republic of Congo, Mongolia, Guyana, and the American states of Alaska, Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Vermont.

Lamprey

Lampreys (sometimes also called lamprey eels) are any jawless fish of the order Petromyzontiformes, placed in the superclass Cyclostomata. The adult lamprey may be characterized by a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth. The common name "lamprey" is probably derived from Latin lampetra, which may mean "stone licker" (lambere "to lick" + petra "stone"), though the etymology is uncertain.

Currently there are about 38 known extant species of lampreys. Although they are well known for boring into the flesh of other fish to suck their blood, in fact only a minority do so; only 18 species of lampreys are actually parasitic. The lampreys are a very ancient lineage of vertebrates, though their exact relationship to hagfishes and jawed vertebrates is still a matter of dispute.

Characteristics

Basic external anatomy of a lamprey

Basic external anatomy of a lamprey

Adults physically resemble eels, in that they have no scales, and can range from 13 to 100 cm (5 to 40 inches) long. Lacking paired fins, adult lampreys have large eyes, one nostril on the top of the head, and seven gill pores on each side of the head. The unique morphological characteristics of lampreys, such as their cartilaginous skeleton, suggest they are the sister taxon (see cladistics) of all living jawed vertebrates (gnathostomes), and are usually considered the most basal group of the Vertebrata. Instead of true vertebrae, they have a series of cartilaginous structures called arcualia arranged above the notochord. Parasitic lampreys feed on prey as adults by attaching their mouthparts to the target animal's body, then using their teeth to cut through surface tissues until they reach blood and body fluid. Although attacks on humans do occur, they will generally not attack humans unless starved. Non-parasitic lampreys, which are usually freshwater species, do not feed as adults; they live off reserves acquired as ammocoetes (larvae), which they obtain through filter feeding.

Michigan State University

Michigan State University (MSU) is a public research university located in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. MSU was founded in 1855 and became the nation's first land-grant institution under the Morrill Act of 1862, serving as a model for future land-grant universities. The university was originally founded as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, one of the first institutions of higher education in the country to teach scientific agriculture. Following the introduction of the Morrill Act, the college became coeducational and expanded its curriculum beyond agriculture. Today, MSU is the eighth-largest university in the United States (in terms of enrollment) and has approximately 540,000 living alumni worldwide.

MSU pioneered the studies of packaging, hospitality business, plant biology, supply chain management, music therapy, and communication sciences. Michigan State frequently ranks among the top 30 public universities in the United States and the top 100 research universities in the world.U.S. News & World Report ranks many of its graduate programs among the best in the nation including African history, criminology, industrial and organizational psychology, educational psychology, elementary and secondary education, osteopathic medicine, nuclear physics, rehabilitation counseling, supply chain/logistics, and veterinary medicine. MSU is a member of the Association of American Universities, an organization of 62 leading research universities in North America. The university's campus houses the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, the W.J. Beal Botanical Garden, the Abrams Planetarium, the Wharton Center for Performing Arts, the Broad Art Museum, the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, and the largest residence hall system in the country.

Nat Geo Wild

Nat Geo Wild (stylized as Nat Geo WILD or abbreviated as NGW) is a cable/satellite TV channel focused primarily on wildlife and natural history programming. It is a sister network to National Geographic Channel and it is the latest channel to be jointly launched by the National Geographic Society and Fox Cable Networks.

It first launched in Hong Kong on January 1, 2006. The channel later launched in the United Kingdom, Turkey, Ireland, Romania, India, Vietnam, and Poland replacing the now defunct Adventure One. The channel remains the world's first bilingual wildlife service, available in English and Cantonese in the Hong Kong market as well as Tagalog in The Philippines. The channel launched in Latin America on November 1, 2009 as a high definition channel. In 2010, it launched in the United States.

As of February 2015, approximately 57,891,000 American households (49.7% of households with television) receive Nat Geo Wild.

Programming

Availability

Africa

The channel launched in South Africa in mid-2009, and is available on the South African Satellite Network DSTV.