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Brook lamprey (Lampetra planeri)

This is a small eel-like fish, 12-16 cm. long. Slimy, with fins along its back, the brook lamprey has two teeth used to help it suck blood from living fish. The lamprey is sometimes found in the streams of the Peak District.

The lamprey has no bones, its structure supported entirely by cartilage. An old species, fossils of the lamprey have been found in rocks as old as 450 million years!

For more information and pictures on the brook lamprey go to www.english-nature.org.uk/lifeinukrivers/species/lamprey.html

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