Date : 02-04-2024
Beach-goers in the UK were left stunned when a mysterious bloodsucking sea creature, reminiscent of the sandworms from “Dune,” washed ashore, sparking a flurry of speculation and comparisons.
Will Miles, a 26-year-old warehouse worker from Bovey Tracey, stumbled upon the bizarre creature while taking a stroll along a beach in Devon after work. Describing it as a “hugely oversized leech with a sucker full of sharp, inward-pointing teeth,” Miles estimated its length to be around 31 inches, equivalent to the size of a two-year-old child.
Photos of the creature, resembling a slender eel with rows of menacing teeth, circulated on Facebook as viewers attempted to identify it. Many drew comparisons to the sandworms from Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel “Dune,” while others likened it to the space parasites from the “Alien” franchise.
However, the mystery creature turned out to be a sea lamprey, an ancient species of cartilaginous fish known for subsisting on the blood of larger fish and mammals. Growing up to nearly four feet long, sea lampreys latch onto their prey using tooth-covered discs and feed by slurping up blood and bodily tissue with their rasping tongue.
While attacks on humans are rare, they can be painful and may lead to infection if left untreated. Sea lampreys are anadromous, migrating from saltwater to freshwater to spawn, and are facing declines due to factors such as low water quality and barriers in breeding rivers.
In the US, sea lampreys have become invasive in the Great Lakes, posing a threat to local ecosystems. Despite their fearsome appearance, sea lampreys play a crucial role in marine ecosystems, highlighting the importance of understanding and conserving these fascinating creatures.
