Hagfish: Facts, Pictures & Slime Videos
Hagfish Pictures
Hagfish: Slime Eel
The Hagfish is a marine worm-like creature. Despite its gruesome appearance, they are most known for the sticky slime they can make. They are called slime-eels, but they are not related to eels at all. Instead, there is a debate whether the Hagfish is strictly a fish. There are about 60 species of them, belonging to the class of Myxini, and Myxinidae is the name of the Hagfish family. They are found in oceans in many parts of the world.
Hagfish: Habitat & Characteristics
Hagfish are lazy creatures that are sometimes found hiding under rocks and crevices. They nest in holes on the seabed, usually just found by the Hagfish. Unless they are disturbed or hungry, they won’t leave the nest. When Hagfish produce slime, they secrete a micro fibrous material into the water that is actually white and liquidly. The material comes out of white holes along the Hagfish’ body. When mixed with water, just a few drops could turn a cup into slime after mixing. You can see many sliming videos on Youtube. A grown Hagfish can have enough micro fibrous material to turn a 5 gallon bucket of water into complete slime in about five minutes. However, Hagfish do have a limit of how much slime they can produce. The slime is mainly used for self-defense, because when touched by a predator or aggravated, the Hagfish will start “sliming”. This method is to distract predators and help them wriggle out of grasp, leaving the slime behind. The slime will disturb and even choke a predator if swallowed. To escape predators, they also use a “knot” method, where they tie into a knot and squeeze themselves away. This is very effective in a difficult situation. Hagfish do indeed have eyes, and only a single nostril. The eyes are extremely poor in sight, without the ability to make out any images. But it is believed that they can detect light.
Buy Books About Hagfishes
Hagfish: Diet & Eating Habit
Hagfish have a varied diet of dead animal matter. They will usually eat any meat they can find. Food is not rare though. Hagfish have small, comb-like teeth that are designed to rip flesh. The meat is then swallowed whole. However, the Hagfish aren’t complete scavengers, but also parasitic fish. They find live food and grab onto it, slowly eating into the victim alive, even when it’s still alive. Only the skin and bones remain. Hagfish are rather abundant, with no natural predators.
Hagfish Reproduction
Scientists are still trying to find out more about Hagfish reproduction. There is about one male for every 100 Hagfish. Some Hagfish even have one ovary, and one testicle in reproduction. The ovary is inactive for a while until the Hagfish is a certain age. Hagfish lay around 20-30 squishy yellow eggs and are sometimes seen brooding their own eggs. The fry that hatch are small and worm like, and are left alone by predators. With these combined factors, Hagfish have a high success rate.
Eating Hagfish: Korean Dish Made with Hagfish
Hagfish Slime
Hagfish Sliming Video
Species
| Common Name
|
---|---|
Eptatretus bischoffii (Schneider, 1880)
| |
Eptatretus burgeri (Girard, 1855)
| Inshore hagfish
|
Eptatretus caribbeaus Fernholm, 1982
| |
Eptatretus carlhubbsi (McMillan and Wisner, 1984)
| |
Eptatretus chinensis Kuo and Mok, 1994
| |
Eptatretus cirrhatus (Forster, 1801)
| New Zealand hagfish
|
Eptatretus deani (Evermann & Goldsborough, 1907)
| Black hagfish
|
Eptatretus eos Fernholm, 1991
| |
Eptatretus fernholmi McMillan & Wisner, 2004
| |
Eptatretus fritzi Wisner & McMillan, 1990
| Guadalupe hagfish
|
Eptatretus goliath Mincarone & Stewart, 2006
| |
Eptatretus grouseri McMillan, 1999
| |
Eptatretus hexatrema (Müller, 1836)
| Sixgill hagfish
|
Eptatretus indrambaryai Wongratana, 1983
| |
Eptatretus lakeside Mincarone & McCosker, 2004
| |
Eptatretus laurahubbsae McMillan and Wisner, 1984
| |
Eptatretus longipinnis Strahan, 1975
| |
Eptatretus lopheliae Fernholm & Quattrini, 2008
| |
Eptatretus mcconnaugheyi Wisner & McMillan, 1990
| Shorthead hagfish
|
Eptatretus mccoskeri McMillan, 1999
| |
Eptatretus mendozai Hensley, 1985
| |
Eptatretus menezesi Mincarone, 2000
| |
Eptatretus minor Fernholm and Hubbs, 1981
| |
Eptatretus multidens Fernholm and Hubbs, 1981
| |
Eptatretus nanii Wisner and McMillan, 1988
| |
Eptatretus octatrema (Barnard, 1923)
| Eightgill hagfish
|
Eptatretus okinoseanus (Dean, 1904)
| |
Eptatretus polytrema (Girard, 1855)
| Fourteen-gill hagfish
|
Eptatretus profundus (Barnard, 1923)
| Fivegill hagfish
|
Eptatretus sinus Wisner & McMillan, 1990
| Cortez hagfish
|
Eptatretus springeri (Bigelow & Schroeder, 1952)
| Gulf hagfish
|
Eptatretus stoutii (Lockington, 1878)
| Pacific hagfish
|
Eptatretus strahani McMillan and Wisner, 1984
| |
Eptatretus strickrotti Møller & Jones, 2007
| |
Eptatretus wisneri McMillan, 1999
| |
Myxine affinis Günther, 1870
| Patagonian hagfish
|
Myxine australis Jenyns, 1842
| Southern hagfish
|
Myxine capensis Regan, 1913
| Cape hagfish
|
Myxine circifrons Garman, 1899
| Whiteface hagfish
|
Myxine debueni Wisner & McMillan, 1995
| |
Myxine dorsum Wisner & McMillan, 1995
| |
Myxine fernholmi Wisner & McMillan, 1995
| |
Myxine formosana Mok & Kuo, 2001
| |
Myxine garmani Jordan & Snyder, 1901
| |
Myxine glutinosa Linnaeus, 1758
| Atlantic hagfish
|
Myxine hubbsi Wisner & McMillan, 1995
| |
Myxine hubbsoides Wisner & McMillan, 1995
| |
Myxine ios Fernholm, 1981
| White-headed hagfish
|
Myxine jespersenae Møller, Feld, Poulsen, Thomsen & Thormar, 2005
| |
Myxine knappi Wisner & McMillan, 1995)
| |
Myxine kuoi Mok, 2002
| |
Myxine limosa Girard, 1859
| |
Myxine mccoskeri Wisner & McMillan, 1995
| |
Myxine mcmillanae Hensley, 1991
| |
Myxine paucidens Regan, 1913
| |
Myxine pequenoi Wisner & McMillan, 1995
| |
Myxine robinsorum Wisner & McMillan, 1995
| |
Myxine sotoi Mincarone, 2001
| |
Nemamyxine elongata Richardson, 1958
| |
Nemamyxine kreffti McMillan and Wisner, 1982
| |
Neomyxine biniplicata (Richardson and Jowett, 1951)
| |
Notomyxine tridentiger (Garman, 1899)
| |
Paramyxine atami Dean, 1904
| |
Paramyxine cheni Shen and Tao, 1975
| |
Paramyxine fernholmi Kuo, Huang and Mok, 1994
| |
Paramyxine moki McMillan & Wisner, 2004
| |
Paramyxine sheni Kuo, Huang and Mok, 1994
| |
Paramyxine walkeri McMillan & Wisner, 2004
| |
Paramyxine wayuu Mok, Saavedra-Diaz & Acero P., 2001
| |
Paramyxine wisneri Kuo, Huang and Mok, 1994
| |
Quadratus ancon Mok, Saavedra-Diaz and Acero P., 2001
| |
Quadratus nelsoni (Kuo, Huang and Mok, 1994)
| |
Quadratus taiwanae (Shen and Tao, 1975)
| |
Quadratus yangi (Teng, 1958)
|