Giant "water vampire" revealed in China, dubbed: Super horror "Meat Hunting Machine"

This alien-looking fish is also known as a " vampire " in the present. They feed on the b.lood of other aquatic animals, from wild fish in the ocean to destroying aquaculture areas.

Chinese scientists have found fossils of two unusually large prehistoric lamprey species in China's Liaoning province, providing clues to the history of a bloodsucking species that has existed for more than 360 million years, surviving mass extinction events.

Jawless eel-like fish are sometimes called "water vampires" because they cling to their prey and feed on b.lood through their toothed funnel-shaped mouths.

Fossils of 2 lampreys that lived at the same time as dinosaurs have been found by Chinese scientists in an excellent state of conservation. One of the two specimens, up to 64.2 cm long, is the largest lamprey fossil ever found.

Previously, scientists weren't sure how the prehistoric ancestors of lampreys fed because of a lack of fossil evidence, but researchers working at Yanliao Biota — a massive repository of Jurassic fossils on the border of present-day Inner Mongolia, Hebei and Liaoning provinces — unearthed fossils of two lampreys 160 million years old Age has helped them fill these important gaps.

The team, which includes Dr Feixiang Wu from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dr Chi Zhang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dr Philippe Janvier from the National Museum of French History, said the fossils were an important link between older specimens and modern lampreys.

This is significant because this horror primitive-looking animal is of great importance in the study of how vertebrates came into being and evolved.

Two newly discovered species are named Yanliaomyzon occisor and Yanliaomyzon ingensdentes, including the head of the name marking the famous Chinese fossil site Yanliao Biota, where they were discovered; the latter in Latin means "Assassin" and "Big Tooth".

Researchers from China and France analyzed these precious fossils — the largest of which was 64.2 centimeters long — and found that lampreys became predators in the Jurassic period, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, about 201.3 million to 145 million years ago.

However, the lamprey species alive on Earth today may be much larger than this. Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) is up to 120cm long and Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) is up to 85cm long.

Research shows that lampreys are also carnivorous and can grow up to 10 times longer than the first lampreys. These ancient fish, including 31 species alive today, often had mouths full of teeth that they used to cling to their prey to suck on b.lood and other bodily fluids.

These Jurassic lampreys also developed enhanced feeding/feeding structures. They have the strongest "bite structure" of any known fossil lamprey.

Canadian Museum of Nature paleontologist Tetsuto Miyashita, who was not involved in the new study, said: "No other lamprey fossils from dinosaur times have preserved their terrifying 'chews' quite clearly."

The fossils also represent the period when lampreys officially evolved into "vampires" as in modern times. The team also found that lampreys evolved complex tooth structures to hold onto prey and bite, and were able to recharge enough energy to start a three-stage cycle in that era.

Modern-day lampreys are sometimes seen as a threat to other fish, with previous studies suggesting they can k.ill about 40 to 60 percent of the prey they attack.

The older fossils of this horrible species are mostly so small and weak, that paleontologists believe they were just algae-eaters and not enough to attack other species in the ancient "sea of monsters."

Contrary to previous efforts, the study, published in the journal Nature Communications , also points to the Southern Hemisphere as the species' true territory.

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