The hagfish is a slime-emitting ocean-dweller that's remained unchanged for 300 million years--and it shows. It has a skull (but no spine), velvet smooth skin, and a terrifying pit of a mouth that ...

A hagfish fossil found in Illinois, USA, that dates to about 330 million years ago looks quite a lot like today's hagfishes, though, suggesting that these animals may have long since found an ideal ...

Lampreys, for instance, swim with undulating whole-body movements rather than the more nuanced fin-based propulsion seen in jawed fish. Since lampreys and hagfish represent the most primitive ...

You can check out more of her work here. View Full Profile. Learn about our Editorial Policies. Hagfish are notorious for their defensive slime, which can swell from a small secretion to a carload of ...