Disgusting Hagfish

Bearport Publishing brings us more jaw-dropping photos in its “Gross-Out Defenses” series. Meish Goldish’s Disgusting Hagfish (2008) showcases the creature also known as the slime hag, which doesn’t have eyes and feels its way through the ocean, hunting for recent carcasses. When a hagfish finds one, it slimes itself, squeezes through any hole in the decaying body, and then noshes on everything but skin and bones. Show your listeners the picture on page 15—I’ve seen audiences avert their eyes, then eagerly grab the book!