Lamprey fish. Lamprey lifestyle and habitat. Lamprey river: where it lives, what it eats, how to catch, how to cook Is it possible to eat lamprey caviar

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:

1. 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.
2. Lampreys don't have scales. The skin of the lamprey is smooth, and its numerous glands secrete abundant mucus.
3. Lampreys do not have paired limbs.
4. 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).
5. 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 heavy pollution of spawning rivers, as well as due to a sharp decline in the number of host fish.

Lamprey fish (Petromyzontidae) is an unusual resident sea ​​world, her appearance does not look 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 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 a high percentage of fat. Like other types of fish, lamprey is useful primarily for its vitamin and mineral composition. Lamprey meat contains a large number of useful for human body trace elements such as fluorine, chlorine, sulfur, as well as chromium and molybdenum.

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 cooking. 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 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 tradition 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 special treatment, the main objective 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 is to get best result it is necessary to use coarse dark salt. food 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 in order for the fish to reveal its unusual taste, it is recommended to slightly marinate it 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. It got its name from the 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. AT recent times it turned out that this vitamin is an immunomodulator, i. helps immune system function correctly. It activates T-lymphocytes that fight antigens and foreign bodies. 100 grams of this animal help replenish the daily intake of this useful 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 its 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 the 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 Lake Ladoga and Onega 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. After all, 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.

river lamprey is a fish-like animal:

• with extended naked body, abundantly 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 fasting and intense 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

22,000 adherent pear-shaped eggs are laid on average by one female lamprey. 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.

Niramin - Sep 12th, 2015

The favorite habitat of the river jawless lamprey is the channel major rivers, silty shores. But it is also found in lakes and seas. Prefers hidden night image life, loves to burrow into the ground. It has no bones or ribs.

Outwardly, the lamprey has nothing to do with ordinary fish species. The body of this wonderful, but creepy fish, is serpentine, devoid of scales. The jawless lamprey does not have fins, but in the middle of the head there is a nasal opening and a mouth very similar to the mouth of leeches.

This creature feeds exclusively on fish or carrion.

A terrible fish is not capable of killing a person, but it can injure. Therefore, fishermen try to grab the caught lamprey by the head below the sucker.

On each side of the thick end of the body of the jawless lamprey there are 7 small holes. Therefore, on the Kama, she was aptly called the seven-hole. “Lamprey”, obviously, came from the German Neunauge (nine eyes) - the Germans showed more observation.

With teeth densely set on a ring-shaped lip and cartilaginous plates, the lamprey pierces the skin of fish and, with the help of the tongue, eats deep into it. By the way, the lamprey tongue is also seated with teeth and works like a piston.

Active fishing for the longworm is carried out in a few areas. Traps on amazing fish put in the place of spawning. Along the length of the river bed, light lamps are built so that a small dark corridor remains, where the lamprey passes.

River lamprey is a very tasty delicacy. The fish is fried and marinated.

Photo: A river lamprey glides along the bottom of a river.

Video: Lamprey how to catch with your hands

Every person who considers himself a fisherman will consider his catch in the form of a lamprey as a blessing. People have been eating it for a long time - this unusual delicacy is very tasty. However, you need to be extremely careful: this seemingly harmless creature is quite dangerous. In order to be ready for a meeting with a lamprey, you should recognize it General characteristics and habits.

Description of the animal

The river lamprey is a serpentine, slimy creature that reaches a meter in length. It is similar in appearance to the common eel. For those who are wondering whether the lamprey is a fish or not, zoologists have prepared an unambiguous and categorical negative answer. River lamprey is a primitive vertebrate belonging to a special class of cyclostomes or, speaking plain language, a fish-like animal.

These creatures differ from ordinary fish in the absence of jaws. Instead of the characteristic fish mouth, the lamprey has a rounded opening. - mouth funnel acting as a sucker. Along the edges of the funnel there are about a hundred small sharp teeth, with their help the lamprey digs into the skin of the victim, makes a hole and eats into the tongue, which also has teeth. The mouth opening does not play a role respiratory organ, therefore, it can be very long time. It is not surprising that lampreys are classified as predators and caution is advised in their habitats.

How to recognize a predator

Lamprey is easy to recognize. Row distinguishing features will not allow you to confuse it with anyone else:

Mouth of a fish-like animal - dangerous weapon. Having sucked on the fish with a funnel, the semidyr can torment the unfortunate for several days, and sometimes even weeks. During this time, the victim slowly dies. Features Predator's main weapon:

habitats

River lamprey prefers freshwater rivers and coastal sea ​​waters, sometimes moves to the open sea. Most common in England, France, Italy, Norway and in river basins North Sea. The Arctic Ocean, the Baltic Sea, Ladoga and Onega lakes are also favorite habitats of the seven-hole. During the spawning period, the predator can also be seen in Russia: in Kaliningrad region and in the rivers of the Gulf of Finland. The predator is least often found in Belarus, the Western Dvina and the Neman.

spawning period

The period of puberty in the lamprey begins when it reaches a length of 20-25 cm. When the water warms up to 12-13 degrees (usually May-June), the predator migrates to the rivers. This happens in the dark, because the fish-like animal has a negative attitude towards light.

The male clears the area at the bottom of the river using your own body for this. With the help of a mouth funnel, the predator removes stones, and simply pushes other males out of the chosen place. As a rule, at the end of the "construction" at the nest, a female appears. The predator clings to the stone and begins to lay eggs. The male always helps her: by wrapping his body around the female, he helps squeeze out the eggs and pour milk over her. At one time, the predator is able to produce from 16 to 40 thousand eggs, about one mm in size.

When spawning is over, the "parents" find the darkest and quiet place where they quickly die.

A few weeks later, larvae about 3 mm in size emerge from the eggs. They differ significantly from adults in both appearance and behavior, so they are distinguished as separate view, called "sandworms". After three days, the larvae increase in size by 3 times. Sandworms go through many metamorphoses on their way to becoming adult predators.

lamprey diet

The larvae feed on small crustaceans, algae and worms. To get their own food, sandworms burrow into the ground. Adults prefer mackerel, smelt, herring, cod and other types of river inhabitants. Sticking to potential food, the predator "drinks" it to the rest.

Lifestyle Features

Due to the fact that the lamprey feeds on already dead fish and animals, it is very slow. The sluggishness of its movements makes it easy prey for fishermen and other predators. Burbot, eel and catfish are the most dangerous enemies of the seven-hole. To hide from danger, the predator goes to the trick: sticking to the fish, she uses it as a high-speed transport, while eating it.

Both fishermen and bathers are interested in whether the lamprey is dangerous for humans. There are very few recorded cases of attacks on people, but they do exist. Often, a predator sticks to a person by mistake - confusing him with a fish. Such attacks do not lethal outcomes, however, there is a certain danger. When bitten, a lamprey releases a substance that prevents blood clotting, which can lead to the destruction of red blood cells and tissue breakdown. In the event of a lamprey attack, doctors strongly recommend that you immediately seek help from a qualified specialist.

Calories, kcal:

Proteins, g:

Carbohydrates, g:

lamprey fish ( Petromyzontidae) is an unusual inhabitant of the marine world, its appearance is not 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 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 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 to various types of culinary processing. Lamprey can be fried, baked, boiled, but most often it is consumed canned or in the form.