October 19, 2011 - Hagfish Day

“The Beauty of the Ugly” – that's the reason behind this holiday!

According to the official Hagfish Day website (Whale Times), hagfish are deep-sea scavengers – which means that they eat the dead bodies or poop that nobody else wants to eat. We are also told that hagfish “ooze slime—buckets of slime.”

This is what hagfish slime looks like.

Blechh!

I guess we can agree that hagfish are ugly – but are they also beautiful?

Well, some people eat them, and “eel-skin” boots and wallets are actually made from the skin of hagfish. Also, they perform a very important function in the ecosystem of the ocean. So, yes, I guess we can say that they ARE sorta kinda beautiful.

Actually, the point of hagfish day is to point out that we need to save the oceans and marine life, not just so that “cute,” well-known, popular animals like dolphins are safe, but also for all the little-known or little-liked creatures...such as hagfish!

Check out Whale Times's Hagfish Day website to learn more about hagfish and other ugly critters. Also on offer: Hagfish Day Haiku, a slime-making activity, a cootie catcher, e-cards, and recipes for “slime eats.” 

Fun!

Ugly critters need a clean environment, too!

What other "ugly" animals should we be honoring today? Any nominations for ugliest mammal, ugliest bird, reptile, amphibian, or fish? How about ugliest spider, insect, mollusk, or other invertebrate?

With all their slime, hagfish are often called, not just the ugliest sea creature, but also the most disgusting one! So, sub-category -- any nominations for "most disgusting" land animal?

Hey, Pumbaa isn't ugly!

Turkey vulture, anyone?

Okay, this guy is legitimately UGLY!