Species
Pacific Hagfish
Fish
Citation Formats
General Reference
APA Style
BibTeX
The Pacific hagfish is a jawless, eel-like fish that lives on or near the seafloor of the Pacific Ocean, from shallow water down into the deep sea. It has a body plan that has changed little since early in fish evolution, with no jaws, no paired fins, and a skull made of cartilage rather than a true backbone. When threatened or grabbed by a predator, it can release enormous quantities of thick slime from glands along its body, clogging the attacker's gills and often allowing the hagfish to escape.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.