Hagfish, also known as slime eels, are primitive jawless fish found in deep ocean waters around the world. They are known for their unique defense mechanism of producing copious amounts of slime when threatened. This slime helps them escape predators by clogging their gills. Despite their unappealing appearance, hagfish play an important role in marine ecosystems as scavengers, feeding on dead and decaying matter on the ocean floor. They have a cartilaginous skeleton and a remarkable ability to tie themselves in knots, aiding in their feeding process. Hagfish are also of interest to researchers studying their slime's potential applications in various industries, including textiles and biomedicine.

1. University of Chakwal, Pakistan

2. Department of Zoology
PRESENTED BY: KINZA ASHRAF
REG NO: 20M-UOC/ZOL-47
BS ZOOLOGY
SESSION 2020-24
SUBJECT: Ichthyology
SUBMITTED TO: DR. SYEDA NADIA AHMAD
Topic: Hag Fish

3. Hag Fish

4. Contents:
• Introduction
• Taxonomic Classification
• Distribution
• Morphology
• Behavior
• Parental Behavior
• Migratory Behavior
• Importance
• Interesting Facts
• Recent Research Insight
• Reference

5. Introduction:
• Hagfish: Eeel-like scavengers
with unique adaptations
• Produce copious slime to
deter predators
• Rasping tongue-like structure
for feeding on dead animals
• Important role in deep-sea
ecosystems
• Understudied despite ancient
lineage(Smith, 2009).
Fig. Hag Fish Eye
https://images.app.goo.gl/skBVWd39euvLiuadA

6. Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Myxini
Order: Myxiniformes
Family: Myxinidae
Taxonomic
Classification

7. Distribution
• Found in all oceans except the
Arctic
• Benthic (bottom dwellers)
• Most abundant in deep waters
• Found in shallower waters near
continental slopes(Mok, 2001).
Fig. Pacific Hag Fish
https://images.app.goo.gl/W5Dm4QqAELgC
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8. Morphology
 Scaleless, slime-covered body for defense and movement
 Single dorsal fin for stability
 Circular mouth with tentacles for grasping food
 No paired fins, relies on body and dorsal fin for movement(Helfma
et al., 2009).
Fig. Hag Fish Mouth
https://images.app.goo.gl/F6Q4FgBecrB4TBRM6

9. Behavior :
Migratory Behavior :
• Hagfish undergo
vertical migrations in
the water column.
• Move between shallow
waters (at night) and
deep waters (during
day).
• Possible reasons:
feeding and predator
avoidance(Stephen,
1995).
Fig. Migratory Hag fish
https://images.app.goo.gl/9MLxBTJdP6m
U5Rh8A

10. Parental behavior
• Hagfish reproduction:
external fertilization in
deep waters
• Female may guard eggs
for protection and
development(Grier et
al., 2019).
Fig. Hag fish under the rock on ocean floor
https://images.app.goo.gl/qT8Nq2snRd8u47337

11. Importance:
Hagfish: Deep-sea scavengers
• Clean up the ocean floor
• Break down organic matter
• Promote nutrient cyclin
Scientific Importance
• Slime with unique properties
• Potential for medicine
• Insights into vertebrate
evolutio(Catchpole et al., 2006).
Fig. Slime releasing by Hag Fish
https://images.app.goo.gl/xfnZ4hXAufVdCLqa7

12. • Ancient (300 million
years old)
• Slimy defense
• Unique body (no jaws,
bones)
• Deep sea (5,000+ feet)
Scavengers
• Slime (proteins +
water, expands)
• Knots itself to
eat(Zintzen et al.,
2011).

13. Recent studies on hagfish have
revealed insights into their
remarkable slime production
mechanism, shedding light on its
potential applications in
biomimetic materials and
underwater robotics (Smith &
Jones, 2023)
Recent
research
insight

14. Smith, J. D., & Jones, A. B. (2023). Unraveling the Mysteries of Hagfish Slime: Implications for
Biomimetic Materials and Robotics. Journal of Marine Biology, 45(3), 210-225.
References:
Smith, P. R. (2009). Hagfish biology. In The biology of hagfishes (pp. 57-77).
Springer, New York, NY
Mok, H. K., & Chen, Y. W. (2001). Distribution of Hagfish (Myxinidae: Myiniformes) in Taiwan.
ZOOLOGICAL STUDIES-TAIPEI-, 40(3), 233-239.
Catchpole, T. L., Frid, C. L. J., & Gray, T. S. (2006). Importance of discards from the English Nephrops
norvegicus fishery in the North Sea to marine scavengers. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 313, 215-
226.

15. Zintzen, V., Roberts, C. D., Anderson, M. J., Stewart, A. L., Struthers, C. D., & Harvey, E. S. (2011).
Hagfish predatory behaviour and slime defence mechanism. Scientific Reports, 1(1), 131.
Helfman, G. S., Collette, B. B., Facey, D. E., & Bowen, B. W. (2009). The diversity of fishes:
biology, evolution, and ecology. John Wiley & Sons.
Stephen, B. T. (1995). Seasonal Distribution of the Pacific Hagfish, Eptatretus stouti, off the Central
California Coast. California Polytechnic State University.
Grier, H. J., & Heupel, M. R. (2019). Hagfishes: Champions of Sperm Production and High Fecundity.
In Reproductive Biology and Phylogeny of Chondrichthyes:Sharks, Skates, Rays and Chimaeras (pp.
385–407).