Merry…uh…Happy, no…hmmm, oh, Hooray, it’s HAGFISH DAY!!! Celebrate the anniversary of the 9th Hagfish Day Celebration with us October 18, 2017!!! Nine years of exotic, unusual, some might say ugly (we prefer beauty-challenged) ocean animals.
The beautiful hagfish.
WhaleTimes created Hagfish Day (in 2009) to celebrate the beauty of ugly. Hagfish are the perfect example. These deep-sea scavengers ooze buckets of slime. They also play an important role in their ecosystem. WhaleTimes believes repugnant and slightly revolting animals like hagfish make great role models for highlighting conservation concerns for all marine animals.
“Sometimes it seems as if ecological causes are popularity contests that exclude the less attractive and less well-known, though equally vulnerable, creatures,” said WhaleTimes Director Ruth Musgrave. “There are species in peril that kids never hear about.”
How do you celebrate Hagfish Day? Classrooms, individuals and families can participate by making Hagfish Slime, writing , make or send a Hagfish Bouquet to a friend. It’s sure to be a good slime! Below are some Hagfish Day activities if you just can’t wait to celebrate the beauty of ugly.
What makes for a great Hagfish Day star? Animals that are a combination of unusual, endangered, and beauty challenged.
2017 Hagfish Stars Unveiled
- black dragonfish (Echiostoma barbatum)
- Heteropods What are heteropods you might ask? According to expert Kris Clark,, “…They’re kind of like little globs of snot looking for other snot-like creatures to eat…”
- Might Marine Microbes
- And of course, hagfish
- Watch these amazing hagfish shared by Dr. Andrew Clark:
2017 Hagfish Day Experts: Our extraordinary ocean experts include
Andrew Clark & Hagfish Knots
- Kristine Clark & Heteropods
- Jose Lopez
- Tracey Sutton & Dragonfish
Want to show your friends you care, but don’t have time to make a Hagfish Bouquet? Send a Happy Hagfish Day card to a friend. (Click on thumbnail photo, save, and send.) 
- Expert Interviews from previous Hagfish Day celebrations
- Hagfish Day Stars throughout the years
- Hagfish Day Activities
