Hagfish Slime in Action

Posted: November 14, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Biology Research | Tags: | Leave a comment

Photo Credit: Vincent Zintzen, Clive D. Roberts, Marti J. Anderson, Andrew L. Stewart, Carl D. Struthers, Euan S. Harvey via nature.com. For the full effect look at the videos, available here.

Nature.com has a feature scientific report on my new favourite organisms titled; Hagfish predatory behaviour and slime defence mechanism. It features some extraordinary footage of the slime in action as it chokes up a startled looking seal shark.

If you’re not sure where my fondness for this bizarre critter comes from, read my previous post.

 

 

 

 

 

Hagfish Slime is the new Spiderweb Silk

Posted: October 29, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Biology Research, Biomimicry Methodology | Tags: , , , , , | 2 Comments

After only a second or two, these sheets of slime are produced by the small, ancient Hagfish. If you look up close you can see the threads that create a chaotic woven structure that hold the sheets of slime together. Thanks to Jamie Miller for the photo.

This week I helped run a biomimicry workshop with high school kids. Many thanks to Dr Doug Fudge for inviting me in on the session, and Jamie Miller for making it all happen.

During the workshop Dr Fudge showed off his research into whale baleen , and the amazing slime from hagfishes. Jamie and I played with the students, helping them extract functional insights from the organisms and then leading brainstorming sessions around further research questions and design ideas. Overall it was a great experience, biomimicry encouraged everyone to look at the organisms in a different way, and ultimately Dr Fudge was thrown some questions and ideas that he has never considered before, which is always a success.

But the Hagfish Stole the Show

Lovely little critter resting in a neat spiral. Seems like the name hag is a bit harsh, until you get up close to their faces...

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