Fish
Brook Lamprey
Lampetra planeri · also called European brook lamprey
In a clean, gravelly stream in spring, a cluster of small brook lampreys twists together over a shallow nest, at the end of a life that began years earlier in the silt.
Overview
The brook lamprey, Lampetra planeri, is a small, Least Concern, non-parasitic lamprey of clean, gravelly streams across north-western and central Europe. Its long larval life and its feeding-free adult stage make it one of the strangest small fish in European streams.
A life that ends at spawning
Having spent years as a larva, the brook lamprey changes into an adult that cannot feed, and spends its short final weeks spawning in the same stream gravel.
Status
Least Concern, though dependent on clean streams.
Brook Lamprey: common questions
Does the brook lamprey suck blood?
No, it is not parasitic, and the adult does not feed at all, while the larva filters algae and fine material from the silt.
How long does the brook lamprey live?
It spends several years as a larva buried in silt, then spawns after changing into an adult and dies soon afterwards.
How is it different from the sea lamprey?
It is much smaller, lives in freshwater all its life, and is not a parasite, unlike the sea lamprey.
Where is the brook lamprey found?
It lives in clean, gravelly streams and rivers across north-western and central Europe.