It's Friday... time for a hagfish close-up!

Yay. Learn more about the slimy hagfish here ... and from this fine article by Matt Simon at Wired. (Photo by Brandon D. Cole/Corbis)

Ever wonder how much slime a hagfish can make?

About this much! 

THIS is a big salamander.

It's a Japanese giant salamander. That is all. Via. 

Today is Hag Fish Day!

Via.

Hag fish are pretty much the most disgusting creatures on the planet—and today is their day!

Among other things, hag fish give off a really thick slime when attacked by predators, allowing the hag fish to slip away. (Below.)

Ooh, and check out the mouth on that thing!

More hagfish facts in The Big Book of Gross Stuff, natch!

What do you get when you combine slime and mold?

I write quite a bit about slime molds in The Big Book of Gross Stuff. These should be the most disgusting organisms on the face of the earth. After all, just look at that name:

SLIME

MOLD

But the more I’ve learned about slime molds, the less gross they seem. Sure, they’re slimy and moldy. Yes, they can crawl around and turn into a “gigantic, pulsating networks of protoplasm.” 

But they’re so pretty! I mean, look at this slime mold in the forest. Nice color! And when I touch it— urk, the slime mold seems to be paralyzing my hand. Now my whole arm is numb . . . can’t type . . . good grief, I’m being eaten by a gigantic, pulsating network of protoplasm!

Oh well. See you tomorrow!

Photos from the New York Times.

Hagfish Mucus!

In The Big Book of Gross Stuff, I write about the hagfish. 

Among other nasty things, the hagfish is famous for having ninety pores on its body that produce slime! 

This hagfish mucus is so sticky, you have to peel it off of you. . . as this photo (by Tim Winegard) shows!

Please Wash Your Face With Soap

I don't usually like it when someone is trying too hard to be gross. These people are usually trying to set a record of some kind, and that's the case with Fin Keheler.

But I have a double-standard: I don't mind it when kids Try Too Hard! So I'm happy to root for 11-year old Fin and his quest to fit more snails on his face (for ten seconds!) than anyone else in the history of the world. As you can see, Fin managed to squeeze in 43!

There is a slight danger that someone will try to do something similar to Fin. For example, what if an unwitting Ultra-Gross! reader tries to set the world record for leeches on the face? You see the problem! (Photo by Suzanne Davis for AP; Fin's story here.)