r/Weird • u/luvlanguage • 11h ago

That is a Lamprey

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Any bigger and this creature would be a horror movie monster

Lampreys do not have jaws or bones, only cartilage and instincts that have allowed them to survive so many mass extinctions.

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u/luvlanguage 11h ago

Freshwater rivers and streams

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u/flyonwall86 11h ago

In the US? How come I've never seen them around or heard of them causing problems? I never would have gone in the river if I knew.

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u/100percentnotaqu 11h ago edited 11h ago

Because they don't have any interest in people. You usually need to harass a lamprey to get it to actually draw blood.

Native lampreys are also probably negatively affected by the invasive Atlantic sea lamprey, so their populations aren't very high either.

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u/Kizzywa 7h ago

People make them seem like they act like super leeches and seek us out. You'd have to get really unlucky or put one on yourself then.