Pacific Hagfish

Pacific hagfish, also known as slime eels and Eptatretus stoutii are jawless fish, that inhabit the depths of the Pacific Ocean. They are found mostly in muddy bottom areas as well as on rock bottoms. Being categorized into black hagfish and pacific hagfish, hagfish are found in gray to light brown color and have white rings around each gill pore and fin folds. They belong to a group of fish known as agnathans and are considered as the earliest species of all living fish. Hagfish fall under the category of Animalia.

Physical Characteristics
Pacific hagfish have eel-shaped bodies, a cartilaginous skeleton, five hearts and 10 to 14 pairs of gill pores. However, they lack scales, jaws and paired fins. In addition, they lack a stomach too. Their eyes are rudimentary and appear small among their lightly shaded skins. They are blind and can visualize an object with their keenly developed senses of smell and touch. Hagfish anatomy resembles that of many of the prehistoric species of fish.

Diet
Pacific hagfish are unsavory to their predators as they create large amounts of slime when disturbed and can fill the water with slimes. These slimes are a combination of proteins mixed with salt water and expand to create a protective layer around the animal. Slimes are used as an anti-predatory device to keep the hagfish safe from being eaten by other predatory animals. This is also known as their self-defense mechanism. Sometimes, these fish unfortunately fall prey to their own self-defense mechanism. They prefer to live in the soft mud and the bottom area of a sea, where they can burrow. Their behavior is unique. They swim in a snake-like motion and attack other fish by making a hole into the fish's body and they quickly devour the flesh and internal organs. They slither into dead fish and consume them from inside out with the help of their "rasping tongue". These are opportunistic feeders and feed on dead rotten animals that are available at the bottom of oceans. Besides, they also feed on dying fish, crustaceans and worms. For searching food, they rely on their nasal organs.

Reproduction
They have a prolonged spawning period. The females carry an average of 28 eggs. Eggs are laid once in a year and when the eggs hatch, the young ones emerge as small hagfish but not as larvae. Though they can lay eggs and reproduce their offspring in any season, they are seen laying eggs during spring and the early summer season.

As Food
Pacific hagfish are consumed in Japan and other Asian countries along with their eggs. These can be fished through rakes and plastic baited traps. In some states of America, fishermen use chemicals to anesthetize the fish immediately after catching them.

Their unusual feeding habits and their slime-producing abilities have led scientists to recognize them as the most "disgusting" of all sea creatures. Though they are known as "slime-eels", they are not eels at all. Research in marine biology has revealed that the origin of this creature can be traced back to the Paleozoic era, which is also known as the evolving era of fish. This slime eel is very useful as it is sold as "eel" skin and the skin is processed into various leather goods throughout the world.