Hagfishes Anti-Shark Slime Weapon Revealed in Video Footage
Posted on October 29, 2011
Scientists from Massey University and Te Papa have discovered that the hagfish can secrete slime very quickly. The slime attack enables the hagfish to escape from predators, such as sharks.
Te Papa's Dr Vincent Zintzen says, "Our video footage in New Zealand waters has proven that hagfish secrete slime at an incredibly fast speed when under attack by predators such as large sharks or bony fishes."
The researchers found that the slime attack chokes would-be predators without apparently poisoning or killing them. The gooey mucus-like slime substance comes from the hagfishes' slime glands and slime pores. They have as many as 200 slime pores. The sliming allows the hagfish to continue feeding or make an escape. Take a look:
This hagfish slime video from the Vancouver Aquarium gives you a close look at the substance the strange creatures release:
The scientists also observed hagfishes preying on other fish. Previously, they were thought to be only scavengers. The full report on the Hagfish predatory behavior and slime defense was reported in Nature. You can see photographs of the hagfishes tooth plates and slime pores here.