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Pacific hagfish

(Eptatretus stoutii)

 

Category: Fish

 

 

These jawless, primitive marine organisms inhabit the mesopelagic to abyssal zones of the Pacific Ocean. They are opportunistic feeders that will swarm a carcass that floats to the bottom of the sea and devour it from the inside out. Hagfish are known for the copious amounts of slime they produce when alarmed.

 

Data & Facts

Scientific Classification
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class - Myxini
Order - Myxiniformes
Family - Myxinidae
Genus - Eptatretus
Species - E. stoutii

 
Did you know?
Interesting Animal Facts

The fish that could drown (and other amazing tales)

Fish are masters of aquatic living, though some manage to do pretty well on land, too! Of living species, the mudskipper is probably the best adapted to life out of water - in fact, a mudskipper will drown if it can’t periodically come to the surface! This unusual fish uses its powerful, almost leg-like fins to walk on land and can even use them to “skip” up to 2 feet in the air! Similar to many amphibians, the mudskipper is able to breathe through its skin and the linings of its mouth and throat. It also seals water in its gill chambers when it leaves the water for extended stays on the land, much like a scuba diver brings air with them!-

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