🐍 Lamprey of the Sella River: The Oldest Fish Still Living Among Us
The lamprey of the Sella River is one of the planet’s most primitive vertebrates, with an estimated lineage over 500 million years old. Its long, fleshy, scaleless body and distinctive circular suction-cup mouth make it one of the most fascinating species in Asturias’s river ecosystem.
🔁 Anadromous Life Cycle (Like Salmon)
Just like the Atlantic salmon, the lamprey is an anadromous fish: it is born in the river, lives in the sea, and returns to freshwater to reproduce and die. In contrast, the European eel follows a catadromous cycle (living in rivers and reproducing in the sea).
In the Sella River, adult lampreys swim upstream in late winter and spring to spawn. The larva, which looks completely different from the adult, can live buried in the river sediment for up to 5 years, at which point it undergoes metamorphosis and migrates to the sea.
🪨 Giant Nests Visible on the Sella Riverbed
During the spawning season, males excavate circular nests up to 1.5 meters in diameter. To do this, they attach themselves to the riverbed stones and use energetic movements to clean and stir up the substrate.
If you watch the river closely in spring, you can spot these nests or even see active lampreys engaged in their reproductive work, especially in shallow areas with gravel bottoms.
🧬 A Living Fossil in the Asturian Ecosystem
The lamprey is a living fossil that has survived with hardly any changes since the Paleozoic era. Its presence in the Sella River provides:
• Scientific and educational value
• Indicator of ecological quality
• Balance between marine and river ecosystems
🎥 In our videos, you can watch several lampreys building their nests in the Sella. A unique natural experience!
tag: wildlife sella river – lamprey
