The Hagfish Essays - Fish, Myxinidae, Scavengers, Ichthyology

The Hagfish The most disgusting creature on Earth.? The Hagfish is known to those who know of it as the most disgusting creature on Earth, a reputation well earned. The Hagfish or known also as the slime eel to fisherman who are unlucky enough to get one in their fish, live between depths of 60m and 1300m. The live in soft bottoms, in boroughs, with only their head sticking out. the Hagfish depending on type (their are 2 types: Eptatretidae and Myxindae) range anywhere from 12-40 inches. hagfish off the Californian coast are common, being centrally populated around the Monterey bay area the Eptatidae live in all oceans, and the Myxondae live in all oceans as well, excluding the North Atlantic. In the Phylum Chordata, class Agnatha, order Myxinoidea. Physical Description: They sort of look like an eel, they have a tail fin, but no paired fins, and no jaws or bones. Like sharks they are Cartalageous. They have slit like mouths, with a tongue that has horny teeth on it. They have degenerate eyes buried under their skin, and a single nostril on the end of their snout. On the snout they have five barbels, that act like feelers, sensing motion. They are scaleless and soft skinned as well, and are related to the Lamprey. The reason Hagfish are so disgusting is because of their dietary habits. A hagfish favors dead or dying invertebrates, and marine animals as prey. They then latch on to the animal, and using their tongue with horny teeth, burrow a hole to the insides of the prey. From their eating the animal, which may still be alive, from the inside out. Hagfish have been known to latch on to fish caught in nets, or on the end of a fisherman's hook. Although their are no known reports of Hagfish eating a live human, it is possible, however unlikely; being that the person would probably notice the fish latching into their skin, and beginning to eat them alive, and pull it off. Hagfish however, and this is my speculation, would eat a dead corpse from a shipwreck and such. When these fish are handled by humans, they excrete unbelievable amounts of slime. Giving way to the name slime eel. As for the Hagfishes future who knows? it seems as long as things die, the Hagfish will flourish. And will continue to earn its place as one of the most disgusting creatures on this Earth. So next time you go scuba diving, remember: Beware the Hagfish.