sea lamprey

American  

noun

1. Also called vampire fish.  a parasitic marine lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, that spawns in fresh water mostly along the Atlantic coasts of North America and Europe and in the Great Lakes, where it is responsible for losses of economically valuable fish.

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sea lamprey British  

noun

1. a common anadromous lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, a form of which occurs in the Great Lakes of N America and causes great losses of fish

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Etymology

Origin of sea lamprey

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

The sea lamprey, a 500-million-year-old animal with a sharp-toothed suction cup for a mouth, is the thing of nightmares.

From Science Daily

They’re also confused with sea lamprey, an invasive species wreaking havoc in the Great Lakes.

From Seattle Times

During the 1940s and 1950s, when the region's sea lamprey populations reached their peak, they decimated fisheries, wiping out livelihoods and wreaking havoc on the lakes' ecosystem.

From Salon

Their numbers in the Great Lakes plummeted in the last century with the invasion of sea lamprey, an eel-like parasite that attaches to fish and sucks their bodily fluids.

From Seattle Times

Salmon are much more successful at nesting when they can lay their eggs in old sea lamprey nests, explains Bennett.

From Salon