fishfactsabout.com » Hagfish Description http://www.fishfactsabout.com Sat, 09 Jul 2011 14:11:55 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Hagfish Facts http://www.fishfactsabout.com/hagfish-facts.html http://www.fishfactsabout.com/hagfish-facts.html#comments Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 admin http://www.fishfactsabout.com/?p=187 The Hagfish is a peculiar-looking fish discovered by Per Kalm, the student of Carl Von Linne in 1747. These marine fish have caught the interest of many scientists for more or less a century. These marine craniates belong to the Agnatha class or jawless fish. These fish are known for their interesting habit of producing copious amounts of slime when disturbed. According to Hagfish facts, there are over 70 species of hagfish and some are being discovered year after year.

 

Hagfish Description

 

The skeleton of a hagfish is made up of cartilage. This structure was once believed to be suited for a parasitic life but scientists later agreed that hagfish are scavengers and feed only on the decaying and dying fish. Hagfish are one of the slowest evolving species of fish and it is speculated that hagfish have stayed the same for 550 million years.

 

Here are some more interesting facts about hagfish:

 

  • Hagfish grow from 7 cm to 127 cm.
  • In spite of their eel-like looks, hagfish do not belong to the same class as eels.
  • Amazing information about Hagfish is that they have skull but no vertebra.
  • Hagfish eat dead or dying animals by burying themselves into these animals and destroying the animal from the inside out.
  • When attacked or disturbed, hagfish secrete vast amounts of mucus that theoretically clog up the predators gills.
  • Hagfish inhabit deep waters and have been found at depths of 1700 meters below sea level.

 

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