Hagfish (Eptatretus cirrhatus) have very primitive features, and probably have changed little in 200 million years. They live in the dark on muddy sea floors, and as they have a very slow metabolism, one meal can last them several months. Their rudimentary skeleton is made of cartilage. They have six sensitive tentacles around their mouth, and lack a jaw but have rasps on their tongue with which they pull in food. They move slowly and mostly feed on dead or dying fish, as well as live worms and crabs. Their main defence mechanism is exuding huge quantities of slimy mucus. This New Zealand hagfish species is one of the largest in the world.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
exploretheabyss.com
Photograph by Peter Batson
This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.
Tāpiritia te tākupu hou