Author: Matthew Taub / Source: Atlas Obscura
Meet the lamprey, if you dare: slimy, coiling horror of the sea since before there were dinosaurs. At first glance, there’s something almost floral about their mouths—until you realize you’re looking at a bouquet of tiny fangs some species use to vampirize lake trout and other fish. Appearances nothwithstanding, these primitive, jawless fish were actually delicacies in medieval England (and ancient Rome, and are eaten across Europe today). For the first time, centuries-old lamprey remains have been uncovered in London, near the city’s Mansion House train station.
Fossilized lamprey finds are rare despite their long history on the Earth because these eel-like fish are boneless. Before now, there have been only two other discoveries of lamprey remains in the United Kingdom, in York and southern Scotland. Even their teeth—the parts discovered near Mansion House—are unlikely to be preserved, as they are made of keratin, like hair, nails, and rhino horns. Alan Pipe, an archaeozoologist at Museum of London Archaeology who identified the teeth, suspects that these lasted because they were found in soggy ground near the Thames.
The find leads archaeologists to believe that it was quite a wealthy area in medieval times, because the lamprey was a favorite treat of…
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