Hey 
Wild Fact Fans, Seth here with the new Friday Feature creature. Don’t forget to please like 
, share and comment 
questions 
down below 
If you have any on this weeks animal ^^
This weeks feature creature is a strange, primitive , & bizarre fish lurking in the deep dark murky depths of the ocean 
. A jawless & boneless eel like creature that slithers its slimy body ; sniffing out for its next meal of decomposing food. While blind; this sinister & ominous looking creature packs a slimy surprise for those who dare try to eat it; and for some ; its the last thing theyd ever do, as this undertaker of the ocean floor will eat just about anything; burrowing its way into a corpse and helping itself!!!
This weeks feature creature is the Hagfish
And side shoutout for a new Animal Event day from this week:
Hagfish Day (Oct 15): a day that aims to raise awareness for this important, yet often overlooked, marine animal and to highlight conservation issues facing all marine species. The celebration embraces the “beauty of ugly” and encourages people to appreciate the hagfish’s vital role as a deep-sea scavenger, despite its unusual appearance and slimy defense mechanism
Next weeks feature creature: Hagfish
1. There around 76 species of Hagfish found in the cool 
ocean waters around the globe (but not freezing 
); all sporting the eel like sleek well adapted for pressure body designs ^^. Measuring from a few inches to the largest being 4ft long; hagfish are also known as snot or slime eels .
2. Hagfish have been around 300 million years & barely changed since those ancient times!
3. Despite their nicknames; theyre more distantly related to them; and are part of the jawless fish family like lampreys. Like those blood 
suckers ; along with lacking jaws, they also lack true fins and vertebrae. In fact; most of their bones 
are made of cartilage ; the same material our nose 
& ears 
are made of!
4. Their soft , scaleless pink & grey skin and muscle is barely attached to their skeleton 
; which along with their slime; Makes them loose and slick; nearly Impossible to hold; even with gloves 
! This along with flexible skeletons; they can squeeze thru small holes and tight spaces; along with handle ocean pressures of 5,000ft!
5. Even without a stomach ; Hagfish, are voracious scavengers ; eating just about anything they can get their mouths 
on such as worms 
, fish 
, crustaceans 
, and their fav food they burrow into; carrion 
. They use their 2 long raspy tongues to cut flesh off prey and gulp it down; using their slime to also immobilize them; including old , sick 
, or injured 
animals & sometimes even predators that try to eat them!
6. Hagfish have slow metabolisms ; and can go 7 months without eating & even absorb nutrients thru their skin! Giving them the advantage over other fish in harsh ocean environments.
7. Despite their gross 
& grimly behaviors and diet; hagfish are mainly harmless to humans, and some people actually eat them! Hagfish are also important recyclers 
as they clean 
up the ocean floor of dead animals
8. Hagfish are blind; relying on sense of smell and 6 sensitive face tentacles called Barbels to help find their way around, locate ,& catch food. They also have eye spots on their heads that help detect light
9. Hagfish have a bizzare circulatory system with 4 primitive hearts 
! 1 is the main one , while the other 3 are backup ones !
10. While the eel part of the name is inaccurate; the slime part is extremely accurate; as they can make 42 pints of a stringy protein like slime that becomes really stick in water in just 5 mins flat thanks to 200 special pore like glands along their bodies; and toss it at enemies at 4mph! This slimy is so super thick and sticky ; not only does it help them slip away from enemies; but also clogs the gills or mouths of those who try and bite them; which can kill the predators themselves thru suffocation!
11. With all the excess slime they make; they can get pretty goopy . Fortunately; with lack of bones ; they can literally turn themselves into a knot 
and wipe the goo off! They can also sneeze 
out snot too
12. Despite their tough defenses; hagfish have to watch out for marine mammals like seals 
and sea lions, sea birds 
, octopuses 
, and larger fish like sharks 
13. Some species of hagfish can change genders!
14. Hagfish can lay up to 30 bright yellow hard shelled eggs 
that hatch in nearly a year ; although hagfish reproduction is barely known
Next weeks feature creature hint 
: this high tree 
swinging black ape is known for its loud beautiful and haunting calls.
