hagfish
Hagfish are one of Scaraqua's more commonly seen bottom feeders. Based on Earth hagfish, Scarquan hagfish are the same basic creature but there are more variants in size and color than currently discovered in Earth's oceans.
Because of their gross mouths, slime secretions, and overall unusual anatomy, they are subject of many superstitions and prejudices. Calling someone a hagfish is a common (and severe) insult.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Hagfish have unusual anatomies. They resemble eels with paddle tails at first glance, but they are unique among fish for the fact that they have skulls but not have spines.
Hagfish lack natural weapons to defend themselves from predators and they are not particularly fast, strong, or cunning. Their primary defense mechanism is secreting a slime that wards off predators via lubicration making it hard to get a grip on them bitewise. It also tastes and smells foul making many predators think twice about eating them.
NIE 1905 Hagfish - Myxine glutinosa.jpg by Wikimedia commons
Dietary Needs and Habits
Hagfish are literal bottom feeders, swimming along near the sea floor and subsisting exclusively on carrion.
Additional Information
Domestication
Hagfish can be safely eaten fairly easily if their slimy skins are removed. There are domesticated varieties of hagfish bred to be more docile and larger. Scaraquans keep them as livestock and living garbage disposals. Loosely akin to pigs.
Most Scaraquans consider hagfish gross to look at. Some Scaraquan cultures believe that hagfish are spiritually tainted. Often, hagfish are viewed as a peasant food of sorts, suitable for the lower classes of society only. Some cultures refuse to se hagfish as foodsource entirely.
Other cultures view hagfish as a staple meat and look down on those who refuse to eat hagfish as prudes or superstitious fools. Hagfish are easy to keep and aren't even capable of hurting a Scaraquan child, why not keep them as livestock?
Facial characteristics
Hagfish have a reputation for being a foul and unclean creature due in no small part to their unusual and by most accounts, disgusting, mouths.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
If any region of Scaraqua's sea floor allows for any sealife to live there are all, one can be virtually guaranteed that that region almost certainly has some sort of hagfish.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Hagfish vision is very rudimentary, so they rely on their sense of smell and touch to avoid danger and find food.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Some hagfish have natural camoflauge and others are vividly colored. In darker waters, hagfish are often albino.
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