A marine biologist who was walking on the shores of a beach in the Netherlands was startled when he found a rare and evasive creature, sea lamprey, washed ashore.
This ‘vampire fish’, as it is called due to its nature to extract the blood of its prey, was discovered on the Dutch island of Texel, reports UK-based Metro newspaper.
“I always have my eye out when driving on the beach for other interesting finds, and I saw a large eel-like fish laying on the water’s edge when driving by,” he was quoted as saying.
“I immediately knew it was a sea lamprey, they are incredible fish. They resemble eels but they are jawless fish, they have a disc-like mouth filled with teeth.”
“I have never found one on the beach. They are amazing, almost alien-like looking fish, with an equally amazing lifestyle,” he added.
Known for sucking and drinking the blood of its prey, the seam lamprey is considered elusive as it was last sighted on the island in 2017.
According to experts, the nearly 3-foot-long fish is incredibly old. They belong to the oldest group of vertebrates, the Agnatha, which existed more than 400 million years ago before there were fish with jaws.
The sea creature was later given to Ecomare, a nature museum, aquarium and sanctuary for seals and birds.
According to museum officials, sea lampreys are mainly found in the spring when they migrate from the sea to freshwater to spawn.
It is said that sea lampreys do not have a jaw but instead have a sucker-shaped mouth with teeth in it—which they use it to attack fish and suck the blood out.
(With inputs from agencies)
