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Slippery character

Hagfish are relics from an age before the dinosaurs. They can turn seawater into slime. The glands that line their body fire out protein pellets that swell on contact with water and other glands which fire explosive threads. Together they form an impenetrable slime barrier that suffocates predators. To avoid the same fate, the hagfish can slip off its slimy coat by passing a knot down its body. One hagfish oozes enough gunge to turn a whole bucket of water into slime. As well as deterring predators, this gloopy mucus keeps rival hagfish away as it scavenges on rotten carcasses.

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2 minutes

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