Lampreys are a parasitic species of fish that live infresh and salt water bodies. A literal translation from Latin means "licking stone," this is because of the ability of creatures to suck in hard surfaces, although they suck not only to stones, but to other fish and even humans. After viewing the frightening pictures of the open mouth of this animal, many people have the question: is lamprey dangerous to humans or does it pose a threat only to fish?
These creatures live in almost all water bodiesSouthern and Northern hemisphere, are found even in the basin of the Arctic Ocean. There are about 40 kinds of lamprey, which are divided into three types: marine, river and stream. The size of the fish depends on the habitat. The brooks are the smallest, reach a length of about 10 cm, and the sea - the largest, grow up to one meter. Thanks to the latter, the information spread that the lamprey is dangerous to humans, since repeatedly the fish attacked the bathing people.
In appearance this inhabitant of depths is morereminds the eel: there are no scales, the pectoral and ventral paired fins are also not observed. Lamprey is famous for its unusual respiratory system, ring-shaped mouth with a lot of horny teeth and a predilection for eating muscles and blood of dead and living fish. Since paired fins and a swimming bladder do not have lamprey, they live mostly at the bottom of lakes, rivers and seas.
In large colonies before spawning is going tolamprey. The fish is able to lay off about 10 thousand eggs, most of which bury under rocks. After that, the lamprey dies. The larvae appear after three weeks, they look like small worms burrowing into the sand. The young are very different from their parents, so they even isolated them in a separate form, calling them sandblasters. For 5 years they look like ordinary fish, and only after that they get an adult look.
The essence of the lamprey is known to mankind from the oldtimes. The oldest specimen, discovered by archaeologists, lived about 360 million years ago. Many peoples have used this fish for food for thousands of years, as its meat is very nutritious and tasty. The ancient Romans considered lamprey and eels a delicacy. In Europe, only wealthy citizens could afford such a fish. Lamprey is dangerous to humans if you consume it constantly. The death of King Henry I of England is directly connected with her, because he loved dishes with fish and ate them in large quantities, and in fact the meat of lamprey is fat enough.
It can not be said for sure that the lamprey is dangerous forperson, it can bite, but it will not lead to death. In addition, the fish does not attack people. There is a known case when Julius Caesar threw him into a pond with huge sea lamprels as the execution of a guilty slave. Those at first attacked the unfortunate, but, realizing that it was a man, not a fish, retreated. These creatures spoil the fish, as they are sucked into it and inflict fatal wounds, gnawing out pieces of meat. But they themselves become prey to burbot, catfish, eels and other large marine creatures. There are cases when lampreys attacked a person, but this, by all appearances, is due to imprudence.
