1. Myxini
By: Elliott Pilcher, Nathan Wilson, Litsa Doumakis, & Lindsey Larder-Hylands

3. Introduction Myxini is a class Hagfish or Hyperotreti Living fossils
Over 67 different species
Only animal in the world to have only a cranium
Discovered in the 1700’s by Per Kalm who mistook it for a lamprey and recorded it as a blind one. It was classified as a worm by Carl Von Linne and Johan Ernst Gunnerus. In the 18th century it was finally named myxine glutinosa which is atlantic hagfish. It is now a family of it’s own myxindae. There are 67 described types of hagfish known at this moment.

4. Evolution of the Myxini
Approximately 500 million years old
Scientists originally thought that the Hagfish was a parasite
They are now known to be predators and scavengers
Vertebrates and Hagfish evolved seperately for the past 500 million years
Only one fossil has been found from 330 million years ago
The fossilized version of the Hagfish was very similar to the Hagfish we see today
Hagfish and Lampreys are the only surviving lineages of jawless fish.
Considered an Ancestral Fish

7. Characteristics eel shaped no jaw or any bone structure.
has two rows of sharp teeth.
they usually average around 18 inches
brown color
has poor eyesight but a good sense of smell
no scales but has soft skin
four pairs of sensing tentacles around its mouth
spineless.
has a skull to enclose its brain and a notochord made of cartilage
digestive system lacks a stomach
has four hearts
produces a slime to protect itself from its predators

10. Habitat Reside in deep water regions where there is mud to burrow in
Can be found throughout both northern and southern hemispheres
The warmer the region they are found, the deeper they will reside in the water
Can be found at very great depths, with the deepest to date being 1700m into the ocean
Lack osmoregulation, meaning they require salinity in their environment at all times. Any sudden change in the salinity of a hagfish region could result in a sharp decline in population
Can occasionally be found on rocky bottoms, where the rocks serve the same purpose as the mud, the hagfish use them to hide under and in-between from predators
Most typically found in temperate and cold waters

11. Video Of Hagfish Slime

12. Reproduction
The hagfish has direct development, it goes directly from the fertilized egg to a young stage without going through the larvae stage, which means it does not have a larvae stage, compared to a lamprey
Only the Japanese Hagfish so far has a regular annual reproductive cycle and undergoes a regular
The Hagfish’s kidney(s) are drained through a duct. Unlike many other vertebrates, this duct is separate from the reproductive tract.
Unlike all other vertebrates, the proximal tubule of the nephron is also connected with the coelom, provided lubrication.
The single testicle or ovary has no transportation duct.
Instead, the gametes are released into the coelom until they find their way to the posterior end of the caudal region, whereby they find an opening in the digestive system.

13. Fun Facts
In many parts of the world, including the US, hagfish-skin clothing, belts, or other accessories are advertised and sold as "yuppie leather" or "eel-skin”(hagfish are not true eels, which are bony fish with jaws).
Hagfish is eaten in Korea and other Asian countries, along with its eggs and its slime.
The section of the fishing industry devoted to hagfish-fishing has grown in recent years.

14. Fun Facts
Swarms of hagfish will descend upon and penetrate the carcass of its prey and devour it from the inside out.
As well the hagfish covers the carcass they are devouring in slime to deter other predators from finding it.
Sneezing is a way it prevents the hagfish from choking on its own slime

15. Sources
"Animal Diversity Web." Animal Diversity Web. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar <
"Atlantic Hagfish." - Deep Sea Creatures on Sea and Sky. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar <
"Atlantic Hagfish - Myxine Glutinosa." Atlantic Hagfish - Myxine Glutinosa. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar <
"Atlantic Hagfish: Natural History Notebooks." Atlantic Hagfish: Natural HistoryNotebooks. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar <

16. Sources
"Hagfish." Hagfish. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar <
"Introduction to the Myxini." Introduction to the Myxini. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar <
"MODERN JAWLESS FISH: HAGFISH & LAMPREYS." Natural History Collections:. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar <
"Why Evolution Is True." Why Evolution Is True. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar <