19 October: Hagfish Day

The third Wednesday in October is Hagfish Day. This day promotes understanding that in nature, beauty isn't everything. 

Photo: NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program

1. The hagfish belongs to the family Myxinidae. They are shaped like Eels.
2. Hagfish are the only living animals to have a skull but no spinal chord.
3. The largest hagfish are 127 cm (4 ft 2 in) long and the smallest are 4 cm (1.6 in) long.
4. They can be Pink or blue-grey in colour, depending on the species. Some species have Black or White spots.
5. One defining characteristic of hagfish is that they produce slime - for this reason they are sometimes called slime-eels. A hagfish has about 100 glands along the length of its body which produce slime. They produce it if captured, and can produce about 20 litres (5¼ gallons) of sticky, gelatinous material when combined with Water. They will then tie themselves in a knot which serves the purpose of cleaning the slime off themselves, helping them to escape.
6. The slime has another function in protecting them from predators. It clogs up the gills of other fish, so they can't breathe. For this reason, hagfish don't have many predators.
7. Their eyes don't have lenses, muscles or nerves - so they cannot detect detailed images, only light.
8. Scientists haven't managed to study their reproduction much, but they do know some species have populations with 100 times more females than males, and that some are hermaphroditic, having an ovary and a testicle. Hagfish eggs have tufts which make them stick together.
9. Hagfish mostly live on worms living on the sea floor, but they also hunt and scavenge. You could say they are the Vultures of the sea. They can get inside the bodies of larger dead or dying sea creatures and eat them from the inside out. They can go for months between meals, but are opportunistic and when a chance of a meal presents itself, they act quickly. This can make them a nuisance to fishermen. If hagfish get caught in deep sea trawling nets they can spoil or devour most of the catch.
10. The slime and the fact they are pretty ugly means they are not generally eaten by humans but they are a delicacy in Korea. The slime is also eaten, used in cooking in a similar way to egg whites. Their skin is durable and leathery and used to produce wallets and belts. If you have an eel-skin bag, chances are it's made out of hagfish.