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William Gaatjes

William Gaatjes

Lifer
May 11, 2008
22,351
1,438
126
Last edited:
William Gaatjes

William Gaatjes

Lifer
May 11, 2008
22,351
1,438
126
That movie based on a novel from stephen king : "Dream catcher"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285531/

I would think that the "enemy" in that movie is based on a lamprey.

Boca_de_lamprea.1_-_Aquarium_Finisterrae.JPG



A movie about an dissected lamprey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=X1tQGeEzAjI#t=107
 
William Gaatjes

William Gaatjes

Lifer
May 11, 2008
22,351
1,438
126
Remember ghostbusters ?
slimer1.jpg


The hagfish slimes predators so it can escape.
New-Zealand-hagfish-teeth.jpg






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8aVgSIDJjM



Hagfish are long and vermiform, and can exude copious quantities of a milky and fibrous slime or mucus from some 100 glands or invaginations running along its flanks.[4] The typical species Myxine glutinosa was named for this slime. When captured and held, e.g., by the tail, they secrete the microfibrous slime, which expands into up to 20 litres (5¼ gallons) of gelatinous and sticky goo when combined with water.[5] If they remain captured, they can tie themselves in an overhand knot which works its way from the head to the tail of the animal, scraping off the slime as it goes and freeing them from their captor, as well as the slime. It has been conjectured that this singular behavior assists them in extricating themselves from the jaws of predatory fish or from the interior of their own "prey", and that the "sliming" might act as a distraction to predators.

Recently it has been reported that the slime entrains water in its microfilaments, creating a slow-to-dissipate viscoelastic substance, rather than a simple gel, and it has been proposed that the primary protective effect of the slime is related to impairment of the function of a predator fish's gills. It has been observed that most of the known predators of hagfish are varieties of birds or mammals; it has been proposed that the lack of marine predators can be explained by a "gill-clogging hypothesis", wherein one purpose of the slime is to impair the gill function of marine animals that attempt to prey on the hagfish. If true, it could be regarded as a highly successful evolutionary strategy against predatory fish.[6]

Free-swimming hagfish also "slime" when agitated and will later clear the mucus off by way of the same travelling-knot behavior.[7][8] The reported gill-clogging effect suggests that the travelling-knot behavior is useful or even necessary to restore the hagfish's own gill function after "sliming".

Research is ongoing regarding the properties and possible applications of the components of hagfish slime filament protein, particularly as a renewable alternative to synthetics currently derived from petroleum.[
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