Petromyzontidae

sea lamprey

Petromyzon marinus

A blood feeding lamprey in the Great Lakes

• Temperate
• Northern Hemisphere
• Regional distribution
• Atlantic Ocean
• Africa
• Europe
• North America
• Anguilliform
• Large
• Temperate fish

The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) is a parasitic lamprey native to the Northern Hemisphere. It is sometimes referred to as the "vampire fish". It was likely introduced to the Great Lakes region through the Erie Canal in 1825 and the Welland Canal in 1919 where it has attacked native fish such as lake trout, lake whitefish, chub, and lake herring.