Distribution:
Temperate seas of the world.
Habitat:
Marine
Remarks:
Hagfishes are found mainly in temperate seas, living in moderately deep water (25 m – 1,500 m). They are slimy, wormlike, jawless, and without a dorsal fin. Most hagfishes are inhabitants of soft mud and sandy bottoms. They would burrow into the sand in search for soft-bodied invertebrates. These scavenger hunters live in part by feeding on the insides of dying and dead invertebrates and other fishes. Beside their burrowing behavior, hagfishes also cover dead animals with their slime, making them distasteful to other scavengers.
This family consists of seven genera with about 70 species.
References: Nelson 2006; Moyle and Cech, Jr. 2000