River Lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis)

The River Lamprey or Lampetra fluviatilis is a species of Eel that is found in places like Russia, Scotland, Norway, Finland and other European coastal waters and rivers. This ancient saltwater fish is a parasite that has a suckered mouth, rather than jaws. It uses this freakish mouth with sharp teeth to attach to its prey and feed off them.River Lampreys are also known as Lampern or the European River Lamprey and are a very close relative to the Brook Lamprey. These fish are anadromous, much like many species of Salmon they will migrate upstream from the sea and into their spawning grounds. This normally occurs during the the springtime. You can watch the River Lamprey spawning in the video below...

After the baby River Lampreys are born they will spend the first years of their lives in freshwater, before migrating to the saltwater to live out the rest of their lives. The European River Lamprey will grow to about 30cm in maximum length over their 10 year life span.If you have any additional information about the River Lamprey leave us a comment below.