Some other quick notes about the hagfish:

  • They have no jaws. Instead, they have two raspers above their tongue.
  • They are functionally hermaphroditic, meaning that while they have both male and female sex organs, they mature as one or the other, but have the capacity to change.
  • They have an incredibly low metabolism, and may need to eat only once every couple of months.
  • They can be found in great numbers in the colder ocean waters of the northern and southern hemispheres.
  • It is now known that while they do consume dead or dying fish, their diet consists principally of marine worms and invertebrates.
  • Despite the fact that they may be the most repulsive species of fish, over 5 millon pounds of hagfish is consumed annually in Korea.