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The Pacific Hagfish
The Pacific Hagfish, also known as the slime eel, is a species of hagfish, which is commonly found off the Oregon coast at depths of 91-219 meters. The hagfish if best uncovered in spots of lots of mud or rich sediments so they can burrow for protection. The hagfish has extremely poor sight that is made up by its powerful sense of smell and touch. With four hearts and a snake like body they propel themselves through very unusual and odd wiggling movements. They feed of hook caught, and trap caught fish by burrowing into them to pray off their innards.

Habitat
The Pacific Hagfish is seen, and know to live around depths of 91-219 meters ranging from California to Vancouver Island. The Hagfish live in large colonies for protection in muddy, or thick sediment seafloor dens where they can burrow into. The pacific hagfish only resides in the Pacific Ocean in cold water hence the name the pacific hagfish..

Eating Habits
The pacific hagfish has a property of being able to absorb nutrients through its skin, it is unique among all 50,000 other vertebrae, and it is believed that is the closest animal we can get to the first vertebrae. The fish enjoys burrowing into dead carcasses, exposing its skin to super nutrient rich decomposing yuck, and eating away at the dead animal. Chris Glovet, at the University Canterberry in Christ Chirch, New Zealand, tested his theory by putting skin samples of the hagfish in between nutrient rich seawater and a solution similar to the hagfish’s body fluids. They found out that in fact amino acids flowed right through.

Fertilization
Hagfish have both male and female specimen and they fertilize their eggs externally meaning they fertilize after the female lays her eggs. On average females lay about 28 eggs over five millimeters in diameter and they carry them around where ever they swim. However females try to stay in the dens that they burrowed to ensure the protection of their eggs and the protection of themselves.

Hagfish Slime
The Pacific Hagfish is known to product a mass amount of brown slime. They seam to produce the most amount of slime while stressed or in situations when they need protection. The Pacific Hagfish makes the slime by opening a valve that is believed to push water into their olfactory organ creating a thick gooey slime. The slime is notoriously difficult to get off fishing gear and equipment. Because of the gross slime they make Pacific fisherman, who collect Hagfish to sell in Asian markets in use of leather or food, have nicknames the creature the slime eel.