A taxonomic group of jawless fish and their relatives, characterized by the absence of proper jaws; an alternative classification for agnathans.
From Greek 'a-' (without) + 'gnathos' (jaw) + 'stoma' (mouth). It literally means 'without-jaw-mouthed' creatures in scientific classification.
Jawless fish like lampreys are our living ancestors—they've survived for 360 million years unchanged because their circular-mouth feeding strategy works perfectly, and they're increasingly used in medical research for their unique regenerative abilities.
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