A 26-year-old named Will Miles found a strange creature on a beach near Exmouth Marina in Devon, southwest England, while taking a walk after work last week. It turned out to be a "sea lamprey," a type known for sucking the blood of its prey, hence its nickname "vampire fish." This type of creature has become very rare in the UK after once being widespread, attributed to declining water quality and man-made barriers in the rivers where they breed.
Miles estimated its length to be about 80 cm and said, "I've never seen such a creature washed up on the shore." To share his unusual discovery, Will posted a picture on a naturalists' Facebook page. Although some correctly identified the discovered species, others thought it was more terrifying than science fiction. One commenter said, "I will never swim in the sea again."
Marine biologist Jarkko Haavermans, who made headlines last year when he became the first person to find a sea lamprey in six years on Texel Island in the Netherlands, described the life cycles of the "vampire fish." He explained, "They live for five years on the bottom, where they filter debris. After that, they transform into adult sea lampreys that migrate to the sea to live as a type of parasitic fish on larger fish and whales." He added, "To breed, they migrate back to the rivers."
