Short-headed Lamprey Identification Guide

Key identification features

• Short, blunt snout that gives the species its common name
• Eyes positioned unusually far forward, close to the tip of the snout
• Two dorsal fins spaced along the rear half of the body
• Oral disc bears distinctive plate-like, radially arranged teeth typical of its genus
• Olive-brown coloration above, fading to a pale belly
• Moderate size, reaching up to around 50 cm as an adult

Common look-alikes

• The Australian lamprey is a close relative but stays much smaller, keeps weak non-functional teeth, and never leaves fresh water.
• The pouched lamprey grows considerably larger and, in breeding males, develops a balloon-like throat pouch this species never shows.
• Sea-run trout and other slender fish can look similar in silhouette but have jaws, paired fins, and scales, none of which a lamprey has.

Where you'll see one

Short-headed Lampreys live in coastal rivers and estuaries of southeastern Australia and Tasmania, spending a parasitic phase feeding on fish in the ocean before migrating upstream into fresh water to spawn.