WILLSBORO, N.Y. (ABC22/FOX44) - State biologists are saying that a slimy creature lurks within Lake Champlain, preying on fish and frustrating anglers - but it isn't Champ.

The sea lamprey is a parasite that lives the first four years of its life - give or take - as larva in riverbeds in the Lake Champlain Basin. It doesn't cause problems in that form, according to biologists.

But after the four years are up, the lamprey undergoes a drastic transformation, growing eyes and sharp teeth, and migrates downstream to the lake itself, where it feeds on fish such as lake trout and Atlantic salmon. The lamprey is a parasite, latching on to fish rather than eating them whole - but it can still kill.

"A single sea lamprey can kill the equivalent of 40 lbs. of fish in a year," writes the U.S. Fish

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