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n“ThenBeauty of the Ugly” – that’s the reason behind this holiday!
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nAccordingnto the official Hagfish Day website (Whale Times), hagfish arendeep-sea scavengers – which means that they eat the dead bodies ornpoop that nobody else wants to eat. We are also told that hagfishn“ooze slime—buckets of slime.”
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| This is what hagfish slime looks like. |
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nBlechh!
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nInguess we can agree that hagfish are ugly – but are they alsonbeautiful?
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nWell,nsome people eat them, and “eel-skin” boots and wallets arenactually made from the skin of hagfish. Also, they perform a verynimportant function in the ecosystem of the ocean. So, yes, I guess wencan say that they ARE sorta kinda beautiful.
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nActually,nthe point of hagfish day is to point out that we need to save thenoceans and marine life, not just so that “cute,” well-known,npopular animals like dolphins are safe, but also for all thenlittle-known or little-liked creatures…such as hagfish!
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nChecknout Whale Times’s Hagfish Day website to learn more about hagfish andnother ugly critters. Also on offer: Hagfish Day Haiku, a slime-makingnactivity, a cootie catcher, e-cards, and recipes for “slime eats.”
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nFun!
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nUgly critters need a clean environment, too!
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nWhat 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?
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nWith 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?
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| Hey, Pumbaa isn’t ugly! |
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| Turkey vulture, anyone? |
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| Okay, this guy is legitimately UGLY! |
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