Identification
The Atlantic hagfish is a jawless, eel-shaped fish of 30 to 50 cm with smooth, scaleless skin. No jaws — instead a round sucker mouth with horny teeth. No functional eyes, only rudimentary eyespots beneath the skin. Pinkish-brown to grey-purple. A row of slime glands along the belly.
Ecology
Lives on soft bottoms at 20 to 600 meters. Burrows into mud. When threatened, produces liters of of tough, fibrous slime within seconds that clogs the gills of attackers. Feeds on dead and dying fish by boring into the carcass. Belongs to one of the oldest vertebrate lineages, virtually unchanged for over 300 million years.
In the Netherlands
Found on deeper, muddy North Sea bottoms. No commercial value in Europe, though in South Korea hagfish skin is processed into leather.
