Cache #3: Pacific Lamprey Travel Bug Hotel
**This series of geocaches is a partnership between Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery (LNFH) and BSA Scouts from Troop 7 and Girl Scouts from Troop 4235. All caches have been placed with permission from LNFH.**
Meet the Pacific Lamprey!
Did you know this strange, eel-like fish belongs to a primitive group of fishes that don’t have paired fins or jaws like many other fishes? And they’ve been around longer than dinosaurs or trees!
The Pacific Lamprey Life Cycle:
1. Eggs hatch into larvae in freshwater streams. They drift downstream to areas where water moves slower.
2. Larvae live in the sand/mud stream bottoms as filter feeders for 3-8 years.
3. Larvae become juveniles that begin to make their way to the ocean. Juveniles grow eyes and develop teeth so they can feed parasitically.
4. Sub adults live in the ocean 2-7 years. They feed on host fish in the ocean and grow up to 2.5 feet long.
5. When adults migrate into freshwater, they stop feeding, and usually stay there for about a year. Then they spawn in gravel nests in the streams, then die.
Why are Pacific Lamprey important?
Pacific Lamprey provide both ecological and cultural benefits. Many fish, birds, and mammals (including people!) eat lamprey. They also transport nutrients from the ocean to freshwater streams. Many Northwest Native American Tribes highly value lamprey as food, medicine, and a cultural icon.
For more information about the Pacific Lamprey, check out www.fws.gov/pacificlamprey/mainpage.cfm
**This cache is a good spot to trade trackables/travel bugs (TB’s). If you take a TB, please log it on geocaching.com, so the TB owner can see where it travels!**