River lamprey: where it lives, what it eats, how to catch, how to cook. Creepy and dangerous lamprey Fish lamprey - benefits and harm

Lamprey is dangerous, but delicious fish

Not every fish makes horror films. Recently it turned out that lamprey, known since ancient times as a delicacy, is ready to taste a person itself.

From the outside it is difficult to tell if it is a fish. As shown photo, lamprey more like a huge underwater worm.

The predator itself appeared on the planet more than 350 million years ago, and has remained virtually unchanged since then. The lamprey is believed to be the ancestor of jawed vertebrates.

Features and habitat of lamprey

Lamprey fish belongs to the order of jawless. The length of the animal ranges from 10 centimeters to a meter. Outwardly, it looks like an eel; sometimes it is called the eel lamprey.

The main difference from others underwater fish– this is the absence of an air bladder and paired fins in a predator.

Pictured is the mouth of a lamprey

Despite the fact that it is an underwater inhabitant, the lamprey cannot swim due to its characteristics.

Therefore, it usually lives at the bottom. In addition, the lamprey has absolutely no bones; the lamprey can only boast a spinal column and a head made of cartilage.

The predator has only one nostril, but three eyes. True, one is without a lens, and is located exactly in the place of the second nostril.

The structure of the mouth is similar to the mouth of a leech: ring-shaped, with fringe along the edges.

The predator has about a hundred teeth in its jaw, and there are also teeth on its tongue. It is with the help of her tongue that she digs into the skin of the victim.

Also, the appearance features of the underwater inhabitant include:

serpentine shape;

lack of scales;

seven gill openings;

the ability to exhale through the gills (this feature allows it to stick to the victim for a long time).

The predator can be found anywhere on the planet. It can be stream, sea or river lamprey.

She lives in the Arctic Ocean basin. And also in the Baltic and North Seas, Lake Onega and Lake Ladoga.

And in other bodies of water. The brook variety is most often found in Finland. However, the most popular species is river fish.

Character and lifestyle of the lamprey

Predators usually attach themselves to the prey, gnaw through its skin with their teeth, and feed on muscles and blood.

More often lampreys attack other underwater inhabitants at night. Their behavior is reminiscent of real vampires from horror films.

By the way, in 2014 the Americans already made a movie about predatory aquatic inhabitants.

« Bloody Lamprey Lake"Nowadays you can watch it freely online. The plot is simple, fish in Michigan are tired of the local diet, and they begin to attack people.

It would seem that they won’t film it in films. However, doctors are confident that lampreys are dangerous to humans.

Moreover, cases of predator attacks have already been recorded. In 2009 alone, two Russians were injured in the Baltic Sea.

However, deaths There have been no recorded attacks on humans yet. Julius Caesar once decided to execute a criminal by throwing him into a pond killer lampreys. But, having initially attacked the victim, they quickly released her.

Due to the fact that the fish gland produces a substance that prevents blood from clotting, you need to go to the hospital even with a small bite.

Fish usually move at night. Lampreys do not like light, and are even afraid of it. During the day you can meet an aquatic “worm” only in muddy water at the bottom of the river.

Most likely, the lamprey is the laziest predator. She leads a sedentary lifestyle. Sometimes it can stay in one place for several weeks.

Due to their quiet lifestyle, fish often become victims of larger predators.

Lamprey has become a delicacy not only for humans, but also for eels and. If the fish is lucky, it will cling to its offender.

Lamprey nutrition

The predator, due to its sedentary lifestyle, is almost omnivorous. Probably due to this feature, the species has existed for more than 300 million years.

The lamprey is ready to feast on any other fish or underwater inhabitant that swims near the bottom.

Most often, the underwater “snake” is at the bottom, clinging to a snag, and waits for lunch to swim to it.

In addition, the lamprey feeds on organic matter and particles already dead fish Before puberty, predator cubs do not need food at all.

There is a special plug in their esophagus that dissolves only in an adult. And fish can mature up to 5 years.

As noted above, the underwater resident is considered a delicacy. Previously, only very rich people could afford it.

Today buy lamprey Available in large hypermarkets or specialty stores.

This seasonal delicacy appears on shelves in November-December. It is best to choose live fish.

Lamprey recipes there are quite a few. Most often, the fish is fried and then marinated. It is considered a great delicacy pickled lamprey.

It is worth considering that this is a very fatty fish, so it is better to eat it in moderation.

For example, historians believe that the English monarch Henry I died from over-eating fatty fish.

Reproduction and lifespan of lamprey

Most often, fish spawn in spring and summer. However, this depends on the region and water temperature.

For reproduction, sexually mature individuals choose a deep place in a river with a fast current.

During spawning, predators form schools. Males begin to build nests. They stick to the stones, lift them and carry them away from the construction site.

At this moment, females help mainly morally; they circle over the nest, touching the males with their bellies.

When the hard male work is done, the females do their part. They use their bodies to clear the bottom of sand and small stones and make a depression.

When the nest is built, the female attaches herself to a rock at the front of the nest, and the male attaches herself to her.

Up to 6 male fish spawn with the female. Two females can lay eggs in one nest.

The fish spawn at the same time, after which they hide in secluded places and die.

Soon up to 40 thousand fry emerge from the nest. The first five years they are similar to ordinary ones, which were separated into a separate species and called sandworms.

It turns out that lampreys live for 5 years like ordinary fish, only they do not feed at all, after which they turn into peculiar ones and live until the next spawning.

Roman’;”>Nowadays, not only delicacies are made from lampreys, but also fish oil and medicine based on it. That's why lamprey fishing in demand.

Lamprey is the name of a whole group of lower vertebrates, and they are included in the class of cyclostomes. Lampreys form only one order, which is called lampreyformes, and in this order there is only one family, which is called lampreys. Within the family there are about four dozen species, among which there are both river and sea species. Some fish species have become very rare, for example, the Ukrainian lamprey, which is shown in the photo below. Lamprey is a fish that has commercial significance for humans.

Appearance and diversity of lampreys

There is a wide variety of lampreys, but two main forms of fish can be distinguished: river lamprey and sea lamprey. Appearance they are very similar, but very different in size. You can verify this by looking at the photo. The first photo shows a river lamprey, the second - a sea lamprey. The only significant difference is the color of the sea fish.

river lamprey It has a cylindrical body that does not have paired fins. During spawning, females grow an anal fin. By spawning, all lampreys, regardless of gender, become tall dorsal fins and the teeth become dull. The back of the fish is painted in a dark, almost black color, and the sides are cast in silver, while the belly has almost white. The running representatives of this family are painted in a metallic bronze color, but when the fish enters the river, it changes color to dark blue and matte.

Of particular interest is oral apparatus, which is presented in the photo below: it is because of this that the fish is dangerous to humans. The edges of the plate on the upper jaw have one sharp tooth, while there are 7 teeth on the lower jaw. On upper lip There are 4–13 teeth, they are scattered chaotically. There are 2 internal labial teeth, but no external lateral teeth. In the photo sea ​​creatures The lamprey's mouth is identical to that of the river lamprey.

The sea lamprey also has a cylindrical body. The oral funnel is round and has a fringed edge. The front part of the fish's body has seven gill openings. Coloring may vary: it depends on where it lives amazing fish. Usually there are individuals with a light gray or light green body color. But it is not uniform: a black pattern can be discerned throughout the body, like a natural mineral - marble.

Lamprey larvae grow up to 8 or 15 centimeters in length, which takes them from 4 to 6 years. The transitional lamprey has a maximum size of 48 centimeters with a weight of 150 grams. Large residential forms of lamprey reach a length of 33 centimeters, and small ones - up to 25 centimeters. The sea lamprey is the largest species, reaching a length of about 1.2 meters with a maximum weight of 2 kilograms and 500 grams.

Distribution and habitats

The river form of lamprey is common in river basins flowing into the Baltic and North Sea. Lampreys are found in Karelia, Finland, Sweden and England. In Russia, this fish is found in Lakes Onega and Ladoga, in the rivers Luga, Narva and Neva, Voronezh. Individuals are found at depths of up to 100 meters.

Marine forms are found mainly in coastal waters seas. Found from Gibraltar to Iceland, as well as White Sea. There are populations in the Adriatic and Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of North America. There are no lampreys in the Black Sea. Sandfish, as the larvae of the fish are called, live in rivers that flow into the sea for several years, and only then do they swim away to live in the sea.

Diet

Reproduction

The small lamprey reaches sexual maturity when its body length reaches from 18 to 25 centimeters, very rarely this occurs at a length of 12.5 centimeters. River forms remain for spawning in rivers, and sea ​​fish rises from the coast along the rivers. While the lamprey ascends the river, it changes externally and internally: caviar and milt ripen, the intestines stop working, turning into a narrow cord, they stop working salivary glands, which are located in the oral funnel. The fins on the back enlarge, the distance between them decreases, the males develop a genital papilla, and the female an anal fin. The lamprey's teeth become dull.

Spawning begins in May or June, when the water temperature rises to 10 or 14 degrees Celsius. Rocky rifts become spawning grounds. The female lays from 4 to 40 thousand eggs in a nest made by the male. Lamprey spawns in groups, so up to 6 males swim to the nest together with the female: eggs from two females usually fit in one nest. Caviar has an oval shape and its size is approximately 1 millimeter. The lamprey spawns once in its life, after which it dies.

Lamprey eggs are found in incubation period from 13 to 15 days at a temperature of 14 degrees, and up to 13 at a temperature of 17–18 degrees Celsius. Lampreys hatch after fertilization on the 11th or 14th day: a photo of a lamprey larva is presented below. The river lamprey larva is also called a spindle. For humans, the larvae resemble worms, a little more than 3 millimeters long, their body is colored light yellow.

Sandworms, so called because they like to burrow into the ground, hide between pebbles and stones, where they lie motionless for several days. At this time, they feed on the yolk that remains with them after hatching: it is concentrated in the liver area. The lamprey begins to burrow into the ground when its length is 6 millimeters; it lingers in silted areas of the river with a small current, but is often carried down the river by it. The color of the lamprey merges with the color of the bottom. The larvae feed by filtering water through internal filters.

Marinated lamprey fillet - a delicacy

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 their unusual oral cavity, literally studded with large sharp teeth.

In reality, lamprey meat has a very delicate taste and is considered by professional chefs to be a delicacy product. True, there are still some nuances in its use as food, but they are associated with another feature of the fish body.

The point is that the lamprey's body is covered with mucus, which is poisonous and can cause harm to 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 a treat.

How to Cook Lamprey Safely

In culinary traditions different nations, traditionally living in the habitats of this fish, eating lamprey is quite widespread. In any case, residents of the Black Sea region, without even thinking, will answer the question of whether lamprey can be eaten positively. Lamprey can be prepared in different ways. Most often, it is fried, having previously been cut into pieces 5-7 cm thick. But lamprey is no less tasty when baked. There are also recipes for marinating this fish.

However, In order for such food to be truly safe, the caught fish undergoes special processing, main goal which is to remove toxic mucus from the surface of the fish. To do this, sprinkle a fresh lamprey carcass generously with salt and rub it thoroughly into the skin. After this, 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 the mucus is removed from the body along with the salt. This procedure must be repeated several times.

One important nuance– to obtain the best results, you must use coarse dark salt. Table salt, which is a monotonous mass of crushed crystals, is not suitable for these purposes.

Some chefs who specialize in working specifically with seafood suggest improving the process of preparing lamprey. In this case, after the first treatment with salt, it is recommended to place the fish in a regular plastic bag and place in the refrigerator 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 procedure for gutting lampreys also has its own characteristics. First, the head is cut off, which requires 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

When talking about whether lamprey can be eaten, it is impossible to ignore the peculiarities of its preparation. The simplest recipe is fried lamprey, but in order for the fish to reveal its unusual taste, it is recommended to marinate it briefly before cooking. 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 frying pan should be well heated and generously greased with vegetable oil. It is necessary to fry the workpieces on both sides, but no more than 4-5 minutes, so that the meat does not lose tenderness and juiciness.

Baked lamprey turns out very tasty. Pieces of fish are laid out on a lined special paper For baking, lightly sprinkle a baking tray with lemon juice and sprinkle with flour. In this form, the lamprey is sent to the oven, which by this time should already have warmed up to 180 degrees. The cooking time for this dish is 30-35 minutes.

Who thought this was a scene from another horror movie? For a minute it seemed to me... And in general, I didn’t imagine that such a passion existed, I only knew about Kylie Minogue and that’s it.

Lampreys live in temperate waters throughout the world's oceans, found mainly in coastal sea ​​waters or freshwater rivers. However, travel of these animals far into the open sea is not uncommon. This explains the lack of reproductive isolation between Australian and New Zealand lampreys.

Externally, lampreys are similar to sea or freshwater eels, which is why they are sometimes also called “ lamprey eel", which translated means " lamprey eel" The animal's body is long and narrow at the sides. Lampreys grow up to 1 m in length. They lack paired fins on their body and stand out big eyes on the head and 7 gill openings on the sides.

Zoologists don't count lampreys classic fish, due to their unique morphology and physiology. Thus, the cartilaginous skeleton of lampreys suggests that the lamprey is a relative of all modern jawed vertebrates. They are predators and, when attacking their prey, attach themselves to the victim's body, using their teeth to bite through the skin and get to the blood.

Lamprey is a fish, known to man for a long time. The oldest fish found in marine sediments in North America, dated to the Carboniferous period, i.e. about 360 million years ago. The found remains of an ancient lamprey, as well as modern views, had many teeth in the mouth, adapted for sucking, and a long gill apparatus.

There are about 40 species of these fish. Lampreys live in all temperate waters of the Northern and Southern hemispheres and even in the Northern basin Arctic Ocean. Often found in Russia, especially in large rivers and lakes.

IN European Russia There are 3 common species: brook (lives in streams and small rivers), river (lives in large rivers) and sea (lives in the Caspian Sea basin). The river lamprey is larger than the brook lamprey.

Lampreys have a brain that is protected on the pharynx side by the skull. Central nervous system The lamprey is divided into a brain and a spinal cord. Unlike other fish. They have no bones or ribs. Their spinal column is replaced by the so-called ligament.

The sense organs are simple. The eyes are poorly developed. The organ of hearing is the inner ear. The main sense organs are the lateral lines. They are represented by shallow pits, at the bottom of which the endings of the vagus nerve are located.

Due to the absence of a swim bladder and paired fins, lampreys spend most of their lives at the bottom of rivers and lakes. They lead night look life. Most often they swim alone, but before spawning they gather in large groups.

Due to their inactivity, lampreys often become prey for more large fish, such as catfish, burbot and even eels. The latter especially love them.

River lampreys are particularly resilient. For example, they for a long time They can move even with their belly ripped open.

Spawning of lampreys occurs in the spring, in early May, in fresh water. They spawn at fast current between the stones. The female attaches itself to the stone, and the male attaches itself to the back of her head. He then bends so that his belly is pressed against the female's belly. When she begins to release her testicles, the male releases milk. Egg throwing occurs in several stages. A female can lay 9-10 thousand eggs at a time. Most of them are driven under the rocks by the current. After spawning, lampreys die.

After 3 weeks, the juveniles appear, which look like yellowish-white worms. They burrow into sand or mud. For this, the larva was nicknamed sandworm. In this form, the larvae live for 4-5 years. Outwardly, they are very different from their parents. They are more like fish; their mouths do not yet have such a round shape.

Catching lampreys is very common, especially here in Russia. They say her meat is very tasty. We must try.

I almost forgot, there have been cases of sea lampreys attacking people, but not in Russia.

Humans have been eating lampreys for several millennia. This fish was well known to the ancient Romans, who considered it a delicacy, like eels. In Europe, lampreys were popular among middle and wealthy city dwellers, who preferred them during Lent to traditional fish dishes due to the higher fat content of the meat.

Nutritional value
Water: 76g, proteins: 17.5g, total fat/lipid content: up to 40g, carbohydrates: 0.0g, ash: 0.8g. Average calorie content: 132Kcal/100g.
The toxicity of the skin mucus prevented mass consumption of lamprey in Russia until the 19th century. Familiar to almost everyone northern Europe the snack was completely unknown here. And in the southern regions of Russia, lamprey, as a food, was completely unknown until recently, a hundred years ago in some provinces they made... candles from it, drying it whole and dragging a wick through the body (fat content - up to 50% of the volume!).

Culinary use
Fry, marinate in vinegar with spices, be sure to wash off the mucus, because... poisonous.

Baked lamprey
1.2-1.5 kg of medium lamprey (3-4 pieces), 3 tbsp dry white wine, 0.5 kg of coarse salt.
Garnish: lemon, a couple of sprigs of parsley, lettuce.
Clean the lamprey, cut off the head and gut it without cutting the belly. Pour water into a spacious bowl or small basin, fold the lamprey and add salt at the rate of 2-3 tbsp per kilogram. Soak the lampreys in salt for 15-20 minutes, rinse off mucus and foam and cover with salt again. Repeat the process a couple more times until most of the mucus is removed.
Place the washed lampreys in rows on a dry baking sheet or in a mold of sufficient size and place in an oven preheated to 180-200 degrees. Don’t worry, they won’t burn - lamprey is a fairly fatty fish, its own fat is enough for it.
Bake for 30-35 minutes. Serve hot, after pouring the remaining juice diluted with 3 tablespoons of dry white wine. Garnish the dish with lettuce, parsley and a slice of lemon.

Pickled lamprey
1 kg of medium lamprey (3-4 pieces), Marinade, based on 1 kg of lamprey: Olive (vegetable) oil in which the lamprey was fried, 2 medium onions, juice of one lemon and zest from half of it, 1 tablespoon of vinegar (wine or apple), freshly ground (coarse!) black pepper, 2 bay leaves, 3 clove buds, 1 tsp sugar, a glass of water.
Decapitate freshly caught (live) lamprey. Use a grain of coarse salt to remove skin mucus. Then gut and rinse everything well. Lightly add salt and bread in flour. Lightly brown each side in olive (vegetable) oil for 3-4 minutes. Then transfer the ‘fish’ to fresh air and cool (in winter, take it out onto a cold balcony, in summer, put it in the cellar). Cooled cut into 3-4 pieces. Do not put it in the jar too tightly.
Prepare the marinade from the listed products and pour the prepared lamprey while still hot. Cover with a lid and leave in the refrigerator. After a day or two, a light jelly will form; after three days, bon appetit!

Lampreys are caught with nets and traps in places where this method of fishing is permitted. Due to the nature of its diet, lampreys are not caught on sports gear. The lamprey larva, known in Russia as “spindle,” is an excellent bait for catching bream, ide, burbot, pike, perch and many other fish. It is mined from coastal mud, washing it in a sieve.
You can see about industrial lamprey fishing, as well as some of the features of this fish, in a video report from Khabarovsk Territory Russia at the end of the post.