Shark Slimed by Snot Eels

By B. McPherson



Researchers in New Zealand have shown that hagfish or snot eels have a unique defense system. They slime their enemies. Even Ghost Busters would find this creature hard to deal with. The scientists lowered cameras and bait to the ocean floor off New Zealand and observed sharks thinking that they had an easy meal as the hag fish gathered for a buffet.

When the sharks bit down on the seemingly defenseless eels they got a mouthful of mucus extruded from hundreds of pores in the creatures skin. The mucus clogs the sharks’ mouths and gills forcing the predators to release the icky animal.

Hagfish, snot eel, slime eel this creature is called by many names but it is neither a fish nor an eel. It’s in a category by itself, a survivor from prehistoric times. It lacks jaws and uses a ring of bony teeth to rasp its way into rotting flesh and will sometimes finish off a dying animal as well.

While their eating habits may make us recoil, the BerkleyEducation Department chooses the word “Lovecraftian”, these creatures occupy the dark, benthic deeps, they have three hearts but no bones, no cerebrum, no cerebellum, are almost blind and start out life as hermaphrodites, yet they are believed to have survived on rotting flesh for 300 million years.

Even these unlovely creatures have a commercial value. High end leather goods are made from their skins and sold as “eel skin”.  Also some cultures value the flesh of the hagfish for food. The site, eHow Food  addresses the popularity of the animal as food in Korea.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Prince Rupert Says No to Enbridge Pipeline

Image
B. McPherson Prince Rupert city council joined a growing list of BC coastal communities that are saying “No” to the Enbridge proposal to build a twinned pipeline from Edmonton to the coast. The decision of the Prince Rupert city politicians was unanimous. Already the village of Kitimaat, Terrace and the Skeena Queen Charlottes Regional District have voiced their opposition to the project. There are ongoing hearings by a federal court appointed Joint Review Panel which are gathering input from interested parties about the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline which would bring crude petroleum from the oil sands of Alberta to the coast of British Columbia. The proposal would see a twinned pipeline run over the Rocky Mountains and through wilderness to the treacherous west coast. The proposed terminus at Kitimat would require tankers to wend their way through the maze of islands and reefs to load up at the head of Douglas Channel. While the hearings and the finding
Read more

Abandoned Oil Pipelines What Lurks Below?

Image
These photos were taken July 2012 in the historic Turner Valley, Alberta B. McPherson Controversy over new oil pipelines is reaching boiling point in many circles. Heated debate is taking place over the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway and Keystone Pipeline proposals. Safety, disruption to landowners  and more are being weighed against the money to be made transporting and selling petroleum products. It got me thinking about the old pipelines. What happens to a pipeline when it is too old to use or not needed? It’s a bit of an Alice in Wonderland scene. The US laws and regulations are different from ours in Canada. The Pipeline and Gas Journal is a source of information about abandoned pipelines in Texas. Apparently a pipeline in Texas may be abandoned by a company, but it still retains ownership and may choose to reactivate the line at a later date. In the meantime, the right of way or easement is no longer maintained, but the through which the pipe extends is not free
Read more

Efficient Rail Transport May Make Pipelines Obsolete

Image
B. McPherson What happens to all the abandoned pipelines? Oil pipelines have huge direct costs to build, but they also have many hidden costs. In spite of dire warnings by environmentalist the world is demanding ever greater supplies of the black gold. For those countries that have it and market it successfully, money comes rolling in. But at what cost? An oil pipeline is a hugely complex thing. Enbridge Corp. has been battling citizens in British Columbia over its proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline and the Keystone Pipeline in the US has been stalled for months. When Big Oil needs to transport oil or bitumen to refineries, it usually gets a smooth ride to approval. Labelling energy security as a national priority, property rights are infringed upon. People in Canada cannot legally stop the installation of a pipeline across their property. The high pressure conduit is often buried only a few feet below the surface leaving crops, buildings and livestock vulnerable to a
Read more