HE lamprey is a strange, sinister and primitive fish, more suited to slithering through the darkest recesses of your deepest fears than being turned into a pie. Long, sinuous and slimy, this eel-like beast has a rounded sucking disk for a mouth, packed with razor-sharp teeth. And, although it clamps onto its prey (pretty much anything that swims, from sole to shark), extracting the blood like a deep-sea Dracula, its tastes are admirably omnivorous. In Ancient Rome, lampreys were highly prized as delicacies, farmed in vast tanks. Tanks into which
A different kettle of fish
Apr 10, 2024
3 minutes
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