Hagfish Day
The Cow is grinning…
Hag Fish…
an old woman fish,
haggard after years of
cleaning
the fish bowl and tending
to the children?
The hagfish was
scientifically
described in 1753,
but I know nothing about it.
Time for research…
Oh, this is great…
The hagfish is wrong,
on so many levels!
Its other name is Snot
Fish!
There are currently 67 species
of hagfish. Their sizes
range
from 18cm -1.3m.
It looks a little like an eel.
A hagfish has a skull but
no spine!
Their poorly developed eyes
mean they are practically blind.
Weirdly,
hagfish can be males
this year and females next year…
they have the ability to
change sex
from season to season.
Ok, so… something has decided
to attack a hagfish.
(bad idea!)
It bites
the hagfish, so…
The hagfish secretes mucus
which mixes with salt water
to
create a smothering slime.
Within minutes,
20 litres of water can become slime!
Disgusting!
The attacking fish’s gills
are clogging with slime,
and the hagfish
escapes…
To clean the slime off itself,
it ties itself into a knot
(no spine,
remember?)
It then pulls itself
through the knot.
And, that slime in its nose –
sneezing gets that out!
Often, a hagfish will bury
all but it’s head
in the muddy bottom of the
ocean.
Sometimes, the muddy bottom
can become a little crowded,
with up to
15000 hagfish
hiding together!
Pictures here.
It is also
Wear Something Gaudy Day!
Enjoy that!
1 comment:
Gross!!
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