My son-in-law has a great job. Besides his responsibilities watching cats, he is also a fishing boat captain. He is master of a mighty vessel; sailing the seas with impunity, he wrestles deep-sea creatures and drunken fishing charter customers with ease.
And to be honest, I’m jealous of his job. All that time on the water, the quiet, the waves, the smell of the sea. To be a fishing boat captain is the ultimate freedom; point the prow west, put her in gear, and just keep on going. At least, until you run out of gas or food. Then you’re screwed
But then he came up against this thing. Speaking for myself, I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since he showed me this monster he dredged up from the murky bottom. He said it feeds on whale carcasses, but I have to say that I fear for all of my body orifices just looking at the damn thing.
Be careful out there, Catsitter. It’s a scary place.
That is one hell of a weird… thing :p
I can honestly say that I have never seen something like this before. Have you found out what it is yet? If not, can i mail this to a few biology departments?
Realy nice picture! Greets, Koen
your friend was completely right. It’s a deep sea fish that feeds on whale carcasses. It’s called a hagfish and it produces all that slimy stuff to defend itself.
Despite their name, there is some debate about whether they are strictly fish (as there is for lampreys), since they belong to a much more primitive lineage than any other group that is placed in the category of fish (Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes). The earliest fossil record dates back approximately 550 million years, or earlier to the Lower Cambrian period. Their unusual feeding habits and slime-producing capabilities have led members of the scientific and popular media to dub the hagfish as the most “disgusting” of all sea creatures.