Today we are going to talk about witch fish whose appearance is very strange. They lack a jaw and are similar to eels. They are also known by the name of hagfish. Its scientific name is Myxini and belongs to the myxinidae family.
If you want to learn everything about the witch fish, read on and discover its secrets.
Characteristics of the witch fish
This curious fish has bare skin and has mucous glands on its skin. Its skeleton is made up mostly of cartilage. They are known as witch fish and are classified in the agnate.
As mentioned before, they lack a jaw and have only one nostril. They develop on the seabed and, therefore, they do not have very developed eyes. By not having a very clear vision of the environment, he has difficulty identifying his victims.
Most witch fish have become extinct given their little evolution. A fish without a jaw and with a vision that barely gives it information about the environment in which it surrounds itself has difficulty hunting.
Among the agnaths, only lampreys and hagfish are found. Lampreys feed on the blood of other fish, while hagfish feed on carcasses or de peces dying Both species do not have jaws, which makes feeding difficult.
They are considered one of the most primitive fish that exist, which is why they are subject to imminent extinction. Although they are underdeveloped animals, they are necessary components in the ecology of marine systems. Your role in marine systems is to "recycle" organic matter. And since there is a great abundance of these animals on the seabed and they feed on corpses, they regenerate decomposing organic matter and clean the ocean floor a bit.
Food
Par excellence, they are opportunistic detritivores since they feed on the corpses that are in their path. All marine carrion and discards from fisheries they are good food for witch fish. However, since most of the presence of these animals is centered on the seabed, it is impossible for all of them to feed solely on carrion. Some studies on these hagfish have examined the stomach contents of some captured hagfish and some benthic invertebrates, shrimp and some polychaete worms have been seen.
Although there is knowledge about this possible type of feeding, it has not been possible to directly observe how they prey on this type of species.
What is known about the feeding of this fish is that it grabs a dead fish or that is dying and with its tongue is able to enter the inside of the body to eat it from the inside. When the fish are dying, they take the opportunity to eat their entrails while they are still alive. These fish are able to eat up to several times their own weight in a short period of time.
Habitat
The witchfish inhabits almost all seas, as long as the temperatures are temperate. The most famous fish of the hagfish inhabits the Atlantic Ocean and reaches half a meter in length. It feeds on some dying and dying fish, in addition to those that are already dead. For it, pierces them with his strong tongue and teeth and eats the meat and guts.
Witch fish slime
One of the characteristics that make this animal so special and unique is its famous slime. It is a gelatinous substance that covers the fish and releases in large quantities when it feels stressed. The disgustingness of this slime has a reason: its defense. This slime is used by these hagfish to defend themselves against predators that try to hunt them.
When the fish feel an approach to their skin, causes your gills to become clogged with mucus. It has not been possible to prove whether the slime is toxic, although it is believed that it is. The composition of this slime is mostly water, amino acids, some osmolytes and protein threads.
Thanks to its fine body, it can pass through very narrow places to defend itself and flee from sharks. In addition, if they are ingested by their predator, the gills of this slime will flood them in such a way that they will spit them out unharmed and they will be able to escape.
Skin and composition
Under the skin of the witchfish there is a cavity that is filled with blood and has a lot of space available. It is thought that with this space, hagfish can increase the amount of slime they create up to 35% before it is completely filled. To corroborate this, a study was conducted in which they simulated a shark bite with a machine much like a guillotine with shark teeth. When this happened, the skin folded around the tooth, giving the other organs plenty of room to move out of harm's way. However, when the same skin was attached directly to the muscles of a dead fish to feed, the tooth was very easily pierced.
Hagfish can form knots with their bodies thanks to their loose, bare skin. This makes them compensate for the lack of their jaws as, by twisting into a knot, they are able to rip meat from decaying dead corpses and feed on them.
Accident with hagfish
One case that will not be forgotten was the accident on the Oregon highway in which a truck swerved and overturned, with a tank inside. with more than three tons of hagfish on board. When the entire contents of the tank spilled on the road, the hagfish, being stressed, spread their famous sticky slime everywhere. When the slime mixed with the water, it turned all the asphalt into a sticky inferno.
The slime is very dense and difficult to remove from clothing, so much so that experts advise directly throwing away the clothing. In order to clean the road, heavy machinery capable of removing the slime was required.
As you can see, the witch fish is one of the rarest and most primitive in the world and its slime is being studied in depth, since it may possibly become the lycra of the future.
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