Is lamprey edible? River lamprey: where it lives, what it eats, how to catch, how to cook. Whether a fish or not

Although lampreys have some resemblance with fish, these animals are not fish, but representatives of more primitive vertebrates - the class of cyclostomes (Cyclostomata). This family, in addition to lampreys, includes hagfish. Evolutionary cyclostomes are the predecessors of fish.

The resemblance to fish is given to lampreys by their habitat (both are aquatic animals), body shape (lampreys look like eels) and the presence of fins (though they are unpaired in lampreys).

On this, however, common features lampreys run out of fish. They have much more differences:

Lampreys do not have a backbone and a bony skeleton. Instead of a spine, they have a chord (dorsal string), consisting of cartilage, running along their backs.
Lampreys don't have scales. The skin of the lamprey is smooth, and its numerous glands secrete abundant mucus.
Lampreys do not have paired limbs.
The respiratory system of lampreys and fish is also different. Lampreys respiratory system represented by internal gills. They look like spherical bags, which are connected by holes on one side with the pharynx, and on the other with external environment. Holes can be seen on the sides of the body of the lamprey - these are the exits of the gill sacs. Water is pushed out through the outer openings of the bags with the help of muscles and can be absorbed through them. Therefore, if in fish water enters the gills when swallowing water by mouth, then the lamprey can breathe even when the mouth is occupied with food - and this is very important for their way of eating (read below).
Lampreys don't have jaws.

The lamprey's mouth is round, surrounded by a suction cup. Inside it - in the pre-oral funnel - there are horny teeth.

A lamprey on such a diet can reach a length of 120 cm and a weight of 3 kg! Lampreys live 5-7 years.

Lampreys include marine, freshwater and anadromous species. But all lampreys breed only in fresh water. Lamprey larvae look like yellowish worms. They like to rest, buried in sand or silt. For this they were called sandworms.

Lampreys are fishery objects. Lamprey meat is considered a delicacy.

In recent decades, lampreys have been on the verge of extinction due to hydro construction and severe pollution of spawning rivers, as well as due to sharp decline number of fish hosts.

River fish are very diverse. Many of them are an attractive catch for fishermen, others are repulsive in appearance - for example, lamprey, which looks like a long worm, which is sometimes mistaken for an eel. In evolutionary terms, it was the predecessor of fish. This primitive creature belongs to the class of cyclostomes. In many restaurants, lamprey meat is considered a delicacy.

Appearance lamprey is not very attractive, but the meat is highly valued

View features

It is a mistake to consider this individual a fish. Zoologists classify it as an intermediate class between eels and fish.. She has a long body covered in slime. On the head are three eyes and a rounded mouth. Along the edges of the mouth and on the tongue are about a hundred sharp teeth that dig into the body of the victim. Due to the lack of an air sac, the individual does not swim, preferring to spend time at the bottom of the reservoir.

There are 7 gill openings on the sides of the body - that's why lamprey fish is popularly called "seven holes". Thanks to these holes, she does not breathe through her mouth and can hang for days, sticking to the body of another fish.

The lamprey has 7 gill openings on its body, thanks to which it received another name - the seven-hole

Lamprey Features:

no paired fins and bones;
the spine is replaced by a chord (flexible rod);
no jaws.

Lampreys live no more than 7 years, under favorable circumstances they grow up to 120 cm. The average weight of an individual is about 3 kg. There are several subspecies: stream, freshwater (river) and sea.

Habitat

This type of primitive creatures is distributed throughout the world.. The freshwater type is found in Europe. In Russia, the stream type is common. It can be found not only in rivers, but also in lakes - Ladoga, Onega and others. Often individuals come to spawn with Gulf of Finland and the Kaliningrad region.

The Baltic coast is where lampreys live in large numbers. They are almost never found in Belarus. Single individuals were found in the Western Dvina and Neman. Sea lampreys are found in coastal waters White Sea, Western Mediterranean and east coast North America. The Black Sea is a place where lampreys are not found.

Lampreys are widespread in the Baltic region

Due to the characteristics of the habitat, there are small external differences in the types of fish. In the brook variety, the dorsal fin passes into the tail. In the river there is a gap between the fins.

Lifestyle

Lamprey belongs to predators, but leads a sluggish lifestyle. Its main food is dead animals and fish, organic matter that are in the mud. This species has no need to chase prey.

The predator moves over long distances, sticking to other fish, which is both a source of food and transport. But this position makes the lamprey vulnerable to other predators. It can be eaten:

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Lamprey can attack and bite a person

Lamprey can be dangerous for fishermen: when trying to catch it, it clings to the body and sticks. This species is non-venomous, but the bites are very traumatic. There are cases when seven-holes attacked people themselves.

A 45-year-old man was attacked in the Baltic Sea. He thought he had been bitten by a snake and went to the hospital. A 14-year-old boy was also injured there. The sucking lamprey was removed only in the hospital.

The lamprey mouth has its own characteristics. It looks like a round funnel, along the edges of which there is a leathery fringe - it provides a strong grip on the victim's scales. There is a hole in the center of the funnel. It plays the role of a "mouth". Inside it is a muscular tongue with a sharp tooth at the end. He plunges into the body of the fish with force. All over the surface of the mouth small teeth. Such unusual structure mouth allows you to tightly capture prey.

Lamprey breeding

Spawning always takes place in river waters even in marine species. Migration occurs at night and begins in May. For reproduction, individuals need pebble soil and a fast current. During this period, lampreys stop eating, their teeth become blunt.

The male is in charge of building the nest. With the help of a mouth funnel, he clears a section of the bottom from pebbles and begins to dig an oval-shaped hole. It is noteworthy that at this moment the female now and then touches the male with her abdomen. Apparently, this is how she encourages him to work.

During spawning, lampreys forget about food and prepare their nests.

After the construction is completed, the female clings to large stone. The male wraps around her and the breeding process begins. Milk and caviar are swept out at the same time. Parents die from long starvation and exhaustion.

One female lays about 22 thousand eggs. The larvae appear after 2 weeks. Outwardly, they look like worms. At this stage, they are called sandworms. They become adults after 5 years.

The predatory lamprey has anadromous and residential populations. It differs from the closely related brook lamprey Lampetra planeri primarily in its larger body size and sharp teeth (blunt during spawning), smaller eggs, and the functioning of the intestines in adult fish.

There is 1 tooth along the edges of the maxillary plate, usually 7 teeth on the mandibular plate. The upper labial teeth numbering from 4 to 13 are scattered in disarray. There are 3 internal labial teeth, of which the upper and lower are two-parted, the middle one is three-parted. There are no external lateral teeth. By the time of spawning, the dorsal fins become taller and touch, the females have an anal fin, and the males have a urogenital papilla. Running lampreys have a metallic bronze color, in the river they become dull and dark blue.

Outwardly, the lamprey resembles an eel, which is why in some places it is called "eel lamprey". The shape of her body is narrow and long, up to one meter in length. There are too many differences between the lamprey and ordinary fish, which is why it is more often called a marine animal.

1. Serpentine body shape, lack of scales, lack of paired fins on the chest and abdomen. In the center of the head there is a nasal opening, and one located in front of the eyes. The mouth of the lamprey is similar to the mouth of a leech - the same ring-shaped.
2. On the long and narrow body of the lamprey on each side, in small grooves, there are seven gill openings, for which it is sometimes called a seven-hole. The leathery sacs in these holes are lamprey gills. This also distinguishes it from other fish.
3. Due to the structure of the gills, the breathing process of a predator also has big differences from other fish. If the fish pass water containing air through the mouth, then in the lamprey it enters and exits through the gill openings on the body.
4. Most important difference, nevertheless, is that the lamprey lacks bones and ribs, its vertebral column, as in sturgeon fish, is a vyazig (chord), but less developed. But the head of a predator consists of cartilage.

Lamprey inhabits the river basins of the North and Baltic Seas from France and England to Sweden, Finland and Karelia. Separate populations outside the main range are found in Italy.

In Russia, it enters spawning in the rivers of the Kaliningrad region and the Gulf of Finland (Neva, Narva, Luga), known from the basins of Lake Ladoga and Onega. Possibly, in the Ladoga and Onega lakes there is a resident form of lamprey, which lives at depths of 50-100 m. In July 2012, it was seen in the Voronezh River in large quantities, lamprey in the Voronezh River near the city of Lipetsk already lived in large numbers in the 90s of the 20th century.

Fans can also catch lamprey in the Volga (Caspian lamprey) and on Far East(Pacific lamprey, as well as the Far Eastern river, Siberian stream). In each region, the rules for its catch should be clarified.

Lamprey weight and dimensions

Sandworms (lamprey larvae) live in rivers and streams up to 4-6 years, reaching 8-15 cm in length. Individuals migrating for spawning have a maximum length of 48 cm and a weight of 150 g, residential forms of large lakes - 33 cm and a small form - 25 cm.

Lamprey lifestyle

These predators lead a rather secretive lifestyle. Since they do not have a swim bladder and paired fins, lampreys mainly live on the bottom, one might say, crawl on it. In the daytime, it is almost impossible to find a lamprey that has stuck to a stone or snag, or buried in mud, especially at a time when it does not stray into flocks. A large number of lampreys can be observed in the period before spawning, then it is easy and prey to catch it. The lamprey travels along the bottom in order to get food, namely: some organic substances that are in the silt, dead and living fish and animals. Therefore, it is useless to catch lamprey on a worm or insects.

On the ring-shaped lip of the lamprey and on its jaws is located a large number of teeth, with the help of which the predator, like a drill, makes a hole in the skin of the victim. Then with the tongue cutting edge which also has teeth, eats into the hole, making piston movements. This method of feeding is not suitable for fish with the usual structure of gills, since they are forced to pass water through their mouths in order to breathe. Lampreys lead a sedentary or completely motionless lifestyle, which serves as proof that their main food is carrion (no need to rush after it).

In this regard, the lamprey is a fairly easy prey for larger predatory fish, especially for those who also live at the bottom: catfish, burbot, eel. The stomach of the latter can accommodate more than twenty lampreys.

Lamprey spawns from spring to early summer, depending on the habitat and water temperature. These unusual fish where the river is deep and the current is very fast and the bottom is covered with pebbles. When spawning time comes, the lampreys gather in flocks and start building nests. Their nests are oval-shaped depressions. Construction begins male individuals. The male sticks to the pebbles and then, leaning on the tail part of the body, picks up the pebble and moves it some distance from the nest. When the place is ready, it clings to a stone in front of the nest, and, making snake-like movements with its body, makes a depression, scattering stones and sand to the sides of the nest. The female is also involved in the process, she circles over the nest all the time. Swimming over the male, she descends and touches the head of the builder with her belly, as if expressing approval of his work. The male, in addition to being busy organizing the nest, carefully monitors that there are no other males around. If this happens, he rushes at the invader, sticks to him and pushes him away from the construction site.

When the male has done his part of the work, the female takes over. The lamprey also sticks to the stone and makes the hole deeper, scattering sand and pebbles with sharp movements of the body. When the place for laying eggs is ready, the female again clings to the stone in front of the nest, and the male lamprey clings to her. First, he attaches himself to the side, where the first fin is located with his back, and then moves with the help of a sucker to the crown of the female, while wrapping around her. They produce milk and eggs at the same time. Spawning exhausts predators, and they go to dark places with a small current, where they hide under stones and snags, where they soon die.

Ways to catch lamprey

Where lamprey fishing is permitted, it is caught using nets and traps. It is clear that, having such a peculiar nature of nutrition, lampreys are not caught on the usual gear. For catching river lampreys, traps such as netting or nereda are placed very close, tightly to each other. Along the migration path, lampreys install a structure consisting of stakes that blocks the movement of lampreys. Traps are attached to it.

In our time, another way to catch lampreys has appeared - with the help of underwater lighting. It was invented on the basis of knowledge about the intolerance of this fish bright light. Powerful lanterns are lowered into the river from both sides of the barrier, designed to work underwater. Lanterns, or spotlights, are blocked from the sides with metal shields. Thus, they illuminate the entire river, except for a small corridor where the light does not penetrate. Lamprey tends to this dark area and falls into the set traps.

Lamprey larva is used for bait when fishing for bream, ide, burbot, pike and other fish. It is not difficult to get it, just washing the coastal silt through a sieve.

Calories, kcal:

Proteins, g:

Carbohydrates, g:

lamprey fish ( Petromyzontidae) is unusual resident sea world, its appearance does not look like a fish in our standard representation. It looks like a large worm or about 100 cm long, although it does not belong to either one or the other. The body of the lamprey is naked, covered with mucus. On the head of the fish there are three eyes, parietal and 2 lateral, as well as 7 gill slits on the sides.

The biological structure of lampreys determines their belonging to primitive vertebrates. Zoologists identified this fish in a separate class cyclostomes, which includes about 40 species of lamprey fish currently known (calorizator). It is worth noting that scientists have found irrefutable evidence that already at the dawn of civilization, people knew such fish as lampreys.

Lampreys live in the waters temperate latitudes, both in the southern and northern hemispheres of the planet, and are also found in the Arctic Ocean.

The calorie content of lamprey is 88 kcal per 100 grams of product.

Composition and useful properties of lamprey

Lamprey in cooking

In our time, lamprey fish occupies a special place in the culinary of many countries and is an important commercial fish. This fish is especially loved in the countries of South-Western Europe, and more precisely in Portugal, Spain and France (calorizer). But the popularity of lampreys led to the almost complete destruction of some species.

Fish lends itself various types culinary processing. Lamprey can be fried, baked, boiled, but most often it is consumed canned or in the form.

Lamprey fish (Petromyzontidae) is an unusual inhabitant of the marine world, its appearance is not like a fish in our standard presentation. It looks like a large worm or eel about 100 cm long, although it does not belong to either one or the other. The body of the lamprey is naked, covered with mucus. On the head of the fish there are three eyes, parietal and 2 lateral, as well as 7 gill slits on the sides.

The biological structure of lampreys determines their belonging to primitive vertebrates. Zoologists have identified this fish in a separate class of cyclostomes, which includes about 40 species of lamprey fish currently known (calorizator). It is worth noting that scientists have found irrefutable evidence that already at the dawn of civilization, people knew such fish as lampreys.

Lampreys live in the waters of temperate latitudes, both in the southern and northern hemispheres of the planet, and are also found in the Arctic Ocean.

The calorie content of lamprey is 88 kcal per 100 grams of product.

Composition and useful properties of lamprey

Lamprey fish meat has a rich chemical composition and stands out with great percentage fat. Like other types of fish, lamprey is useful primarily for its vitamin and mineral composition. Lamprey meat contains a large amount of useful for human body trace elements such as fluorine, chlorine, sulfur, as well as chromium and molybdenum.

Lamprey in cooking

Fish lends itself to various types of culinary processing. Lamprey can be fried, baked, boiled, but most often it is consumed in canned or pickled form.

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Is it possible to eat lamprey

Lamprey - special kind commercial fish, which is found both in rivers and in marine areas. Individuals living in the sea are much larger than river lampreys, but otherwise they are very similar. The main feature of lampreys of any kind is an unusual oral cavity, literally dotted with large sharp teeth.

In fact, lamprey meat has a very delicate taste and is considered to be a delicacy by professional cooks. True, there are still some nuances of eating it, but they are associated with another feature of the fish body.

The fact is that the body of the lamprey is covered with mucus, which is poisonous and can harm a person upon contact with the skin, and even more so if it enters the stomach. This circumstance must be taken into account when deciding for yourself whether it is possible to eat lamprey or whether it is better to refrain from such treats.

How to Cook Lamprey Safely

IN culinary traditions different peoples traditionally living in the habitats of this fish, eating lamprey is quite widespread. In any case, the inhabitants of the Black Sea region, without even thinking, will answer the question of whether it is possible to eat lamprey in the affirmative. You can cook lamprey in different ways. Most often, it is fried, having previously been cut into pieces 5-7 cm thick. But no less tasty lamprey is obtained when baking. There are also recipes for pickling this fish.

However, in order for such food to be truly safe, the caught fish is subjected to a special treatment, the main purpose of which is to remove poisonous mucus from the surface of the fish. To do this, a fresh carcass of lamprey is abundantly sprinkled with salt and carefully rubbed into the skin. After that, the fish is placed in a bowl and poured cold water, which should completely cover the lamprey. After 10 minutes, the liquid is drained, the fish is washed under a strong stream, as a result of which mucus is removed from the body along with salt. This procedure must be repeated several times.

One important nuance- for getting best result it is necessary to use coarse dark salt. Edible salt, which is a monotonous mass of crushed crystals, is not suitable for these purposes.

Some chefs who specialize in working specifically with seafood offer to improve the lamprey preparation process. In this case, after the first treatment with salt, it is recommended to place the fish in a regular plastic bag and refrigerate for about an hour. Then the carcasses will need to be thoroughly rinsed again in running water, after which they will be ready for cooking.

The lamprey gutting procedure also has its own characteristics. First, her head is cut off, which will require a well-sharpened knife, and then the insides are removed through the resulting hole, without cutting the sides or belly of the fish. At the final stage, the carcass is cut into pieces.

Cooking features

Speaking about whether it is possible to eat lamprey, it is impossible to ignore the features of its preparation. The simplest recipe is fried lamprey, but for the fish to reveal its unusual taste, it is recommended to subject it to a slight pickling before heat treatment. It is best to use red wine for this, in which the fish must be kept for about a day.

Immediately before frying, prepared pieces of lamprey should be rolled in a mixture of equal amounts of salt and flour. The pan should be well heated and generously greased. vegetable oil. It is necessary to fry the blanks on both sides, but not more than 4-5 minutes, so that the meat does not lose its tenderness and juiciness.

The baked lamprey is very tasty. Pieces of fish are laid out on a baking sheet covered with special baking paper, lightly sprinkled with lemon juice and sprinkled with flour. In this form, the lamprey is sent to the oven, which by this time should already warm up to 180 degrees. The cooking time for this dish is 30-35 minutes.

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What is useful lamprey

The lamprey actually only looks like a fish, but in fact it is a lower vertebrate animal that lives in aquatic environment. She got her name from German word nine-eyed. This animal has 7 gill openings on its side, which are similar to the eyes.

What is useful lamprey.

This is perhaps the fattest seafood. Up to 30% of the weight of this animal reaches the mass of adipose tissue. This adipose tissue is a source of Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Omega 3 is good because it effectively fights against high level cholesterol and helps in the prevention of the development of atherosclerotic lesions of the walls of blood vessels. In addition, they have a certain anti-inflammatory effect. Omega 3 reduces inflammation and improves the condition of patients with inflammatory joint diseases.
It contains a lot of fat-soluble vitamins A and D. Vitamin A is a strong antioxidant, also helping to fight inflammation. Vitamin D is good for our skeletal system, because. without it, calcium is not absorbed in the intestines, which leads to the appearance of osteoporosis. Also regulating the balance of calcium in the body, it affects the functioning of the neuromuscular system. IN Lately it turned out that this vitamin is an immunomodulator, i. helps the immune system to function properly. It activates T-lymphocytes that fight antigens and foreign bodies. 100 grams of this animal help replenish daily allowance this beneficial vitamin.

By the way, herring and mackerel are also rich in vitamin D and 100 gr. these fish will also be able to replenish the daily supply of the vitamin.

How to choose it The carcass should be shiny, and the eyes should not be cloudy. You need to buy either fresh or fresh-frozen carcasses. The peculiarity of lamprey is that fresh it can be covered with mucus, which is poisonous to humans and therefore it must be soaked before cooking. If the carcasses are frozen, then this procedure no longer needs to be done at home.

How to save Since it has a lot of fat, it can be stored fresh for no longer than 24 hours in the refrigerator. Fat on contact with oxygen goes rancid and the dish will already be bitter. If the lamprey is frozen, then it can be stored in the freezer for several months.

How to cook. As mentioned above, it is very important to remove poisonous mucus. It is not worth frying in oil, because. carcinogens are released into the air, it is better to either bake it or steam it.

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Should I be afraid of meeting with a lamprey?

The appearance of the lamprey does not cause pleasant emotions especially her mouth surrounded by sharp teeth. And I immediately want to understand: is the river lamprey really dangerous for humans, and how undesirable is it to meet in the water? And this meeting can take place both in the river and in the sea. In 2009, the media reported several cases of lamprey attacks on vacationers in Germany on the Baltic beaches.

It is here, in the rivers flowing into the North and Baltic Seas, that the river lamprey breeds, and adults live in coastal waters. Baltic Sea. It can also be found in Ladoga and Onega lakes. Here it forms a "residential form".

Lifestyle and interesting facts about lamprey

By way of life, the river lamprey is a migratory species, scientifically speaking “anadromous” or “anadromous species”. This term refers to those fish that live in the seas, and enter rivers for reproduction, i.e. make migrations. IN large lakes isolated from the sea, “residential lake forms” can form, which do not migrate anywhere, but permanently live in the same body of water, for example, in the Ladoga and Onega lakes in Russia.

How did the meetings of bathers with lampreys end?

If you look at the photo of the lamprey (her mouth), it immediately becomes clear that a meeting with her does not promise anything good.

Several facts of lamprey attacks on people were recorded in Germany, in recreation areas on the Baltic Sea:

A 60-year-old man who swam in the sea far from the shore was not allowed to calmly “lie on the water” by the lamprey. He lay down on the water with his back down and suddenly felt a stabbing pain and a bite in his back. Grasping his hand over the wounded place, he felt for something long and slippery, stuck to his back. It happened so suddenly that the man was very frightened and almost drowned, but he was able to tear off this “something” and hurriedly swam to the shore.

But soon he was bitten by left leg. The victim managed to safely reach the shore. The fishermen who were nearby examined the wounds on the leg and back and said that it was probably a large nine-eyed - as the sea lamprey is called in Germany. They assured that lampreys are not poisonous and no special actions can be taken by the victim.

But doctors believe that lampreys are dangerous to humans to a certain extent. Indeed, substances secreted by the lamprey buccal glands enter the wound of the victim, which reduce blood clotting, contribute to the destruction of red blood cells and tissue breakdown. Therefore, even with minimal lamprey bites, it is necessary to consult a doctor.

The injured man was taken to the hospital where his wounds were treated.

Lamprey fish or not?

The part of the article with the description of "horror films" about the attacks of peculiar water "vampires" on people has ended and it became clear that the river lamprey is dangerous for humans, but not to fatality. And now it's time to understand why lampreys can attack humans? This is due to the type of nutrition of these living beings.

Let's first figure out what type of living creatures lampreys belong to.

When they say "lamprey fish", this is not correct. Yes, they also belong to the type of chordates and the subtype of vertebrates, but to another class - cyclostomes.

This name is associated with the shape of the oral funnel, located on the ventral side of the body and seated with numerous sharp teeth. Lampreys are not fish. All fish have jaws, but lampreys do not have them, they are jawless. On this basis, they are easily distinguished from fish. Consider a photo of a lamprey - its mouth funnel and you will see that the head of the lamprey is not at all like the head of a fish.

The river lamprey is a fish-like animal:

with an elongated naked body, richly covered with mucus;
without paired fins and two dorsal fins and tail;
with one unpaired nasal opening;
with seven gill openings on each side of the body behind the head, therefore they are popularly called semidyr;
with numerous horny teeth in a round mouth funnel.

These are the main external signs by which any lamprey is recognized. It is also important to remember that the expression "lamprey fish" is not correct from the point of view of biology.

Of all the feeding methods, the adult lamprey uses the most "barbaric": it slowly eats live prey. For several days or even weeks, the fish, to which the hungry lamprey has stuck, slowly and painfully dies.

The mouth of the lamprey is a round mouth funnel similar to a "trap" into which the victim of the lamprey falls.

Along the edge of the mouth is a leathery fringe, thanks to which the lamprey is able to firmly stick to its prey.
The mouth opening (actually "mouth") is located in the center of the funnel.
The muscular tongue, located inside the mouth, is very powerful and acts like a piston, burrowing into the body of the fish.
Sharp horny teeth are located over the entire area of the funnel, forming a peculiar pattern. The largest teeth surround the mouth opening and are located on two plates: maxillary and mandibular - 2 and 7 teeth, respectively.
There is a large tooth on the tongue - a “grater”, which is a “drill” that penetrates into the body of the victims.

These are the “tools” that the lamprey uses to tightly and for a long time cling to its prey. Thanks for the patience with which you read about how the lamprey eats. There is still some information left on this subject.

She does not use her mouth to breathe. Water passes through a single nostril and enters lower part pharynx, then into gill sacs. The lamprey has seven round gill openings through which water escapes.

How and where does the lamprey digest food? Nature took care of this: the lamprey, like all cyclostomes, secretes digestive juices directly into the body of the victim.

This is where the digestion of food begins, scientifically “extra-intestinal digestion”. In many cases, the skin and soft tissues of live fish are subjected to such treatment, which, of course, suffer. It is for this reason (the release of digestive juices into the body of the victim) that lampreys are dangerous to humans, because these secretions contain substances that destroy red blood cells and prevent blood clotting.

All lampreys breed in rivers, even if they feed in the sea. For breeding, they choose deep sections of rivers. Mandatory conditions: pebble soil and rapid current rivers.

When lampreys enter the river to spawn, they stop feeding, sharp teeth on the mouth funnel become blunt and two dorsal fins merge into one. They remain in the river for several months.

In spawning areas, lampreys always gather in flocks. The eggs are laid in nests that the parents build on the bottom. The nest is an oval-shaped hole, slightly elongated. Construction is always started by the male.

Nest building

With the help of a mouth funnel, the male drags the stones far away from the nest building site. He does this work by sucking himself with a funnel to small pebbles and leaning on his tail. After the territory of the future nest is cleared of pebbles, a hole is dug. Having fixed with a sucker funnel for some large stone, the male makes sharp snake-like movements of the body and scatters sand and pebbles to the sides. How it happens - watch the video:

While the male is busy with this important work the female swims in smooth circles over the nest. Once above the male, she descends to swim and touch the front of her abdomen to the male's head. With this movement, she probably encourages his work.

During construction, the male makes sure that no one approaches this place. It is worth some male to swim up to close quarters, the owner of the nest bites into the uninvited guest with a sucker, pushing him out of his territory.

The construction of the nest is completed by the female, which deepens the hole, scattering sand and pebbles in the same way.

Spawning and death of parents

When the construction of the nest is completed, the female clings to one of the stones near the nest. The male clings to the female from the side and, moving the sucker, finds himself near the parietal part of her head. It then wraps its tail around the body of the female. Caviar and milk are swept into the water at the same time.

After prolonged starvation and strenuous spawning, lampreys are very exhausted. They hide under snags, stones and in other places protected from currents and light. Then they die.

Lamprey larvae - gerbils

22 thousand sticky eggs pear-shaped on average, one female lamprey spits. The caviar is large - diameter 12 mm. The larvae hatch 2 weeks after fertilization. The lamprey larva looks like a small pale yellow worm, about 3 millimeters in size.

Among the lampreys there are completely harmless ones that do no harm to anyone. The stream lamprey, unlike the river lamprey, does not migrate and spends its entire life in the river in which it was born. Sandworm larvae live buried in the ground and feed on animal and plant debris - detritus. After 5-6 years, they metamorphize (turn) into adult lampreys, which are smaller in size than the larval stage. An adult lamprey fits in the palm of a person.

Adults do not eat at all, having an undeveloped intestine. They are supplied with energy by stored fat. The brook lamprey spawns shortly after the completion of the transformation into an adult form, and then, like all lampreys, dies. Life cycle lasts no more than seven years.