Worry not, this is not the end of the world

Jun 10, 2015 13:54 GMT  ·  By

Weird, scary-looking fish have been popping up in the oddest of places in the city of Fairbanks in Alaska these past few days, and people are understandably freaking out over it. 

The bizarre ocean dwellers, photos of which are included in the gallery below, have been showing up in people's backyards and even in parking lots.

What are these fish anyway?

Having examined them, experts at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game identified the fish as lampreys. Apparently, these creatures are kind of like the vampires of the underworld.

Thus, wildlife researchers say that, in order to feed, lampreys rely on their tongues and teeth to attach themselves to other fish and then simply suck their victim's blood and other fluids.

True, it sometimes happens that the fish unlucky enough to become a lamprey's latest snack die. Most of them, however, survive the experience.

Interestingly, lampreys look more like eels than the fish that we are accustomed to. They can grow to measure 15 inches (38 centimeters) in length and do not have scales and fins.

“Arctic lampreys spawn in the Chena River, and live in the mud underwater as juveniles for several years,” explain biologists with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

“However, many lifelong Alaskans have never seen one of these fascinating fish up close because their body shape and feeding habits make them difficult to catch,” they add.

What are lampreys doing in Fairbanks?

There is no saying for sure, at least not for the time being, but wildlife specialists suspect that it's seagulls that keep picking up lampreys from the nearby ocean and then dropping them on the city of Fairbanks.

This hypothesis is backed up by the fact that, of the lampreys that have so far been discovered in this part of Alaska, many have marks on their body that bear a striking resemblance to gull bites.

Since not much is known about the species, researchers urge that those who chance to find a lamprey contact them and, rather than throw it away, donate the specimen to science.

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