White-headed hagfish
📖 Overview
Scavengers which are found on muddy bottoms; feed largely on dead or disabled fish by boring into its skin. Eggs are few and large (20-30 mm).
🔬 Taxonomy
🐟 Physical Description
: eel-like.
🌀 Behaviour
Behavioural data for White-headed hagfish is currently being reviewed.
🦐 Diet
🥚 Reproduction
Copulatory organ absent. The gonads of hagfishes are situated in the peritoneal cavity. The ovary is found in the anterior portion of the gonad, and the testis is found in the posterior part. The animal becomes female if the cranial part of the gonad develops or male if the caudal part undergoes differentiation. If none develops, then the animal becomes sterile. If both anterior and posterior parts develop, then the animal becomes a functional hermaphrodite. However, hermaphroditism being characterised as functional needs to be validated by more reproduction studies .
🌍 Habitat & Distribution
Marine; bathydemersal; non-migratory; depth range 614 - 1625 m . Deep-water; 67°N - 21°N southwest off Ireland and Iceland, off Western Sahara.
🌿 Ecology
📐 Morphometrics
🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance
🛡️ Conservation Assessment
📊 Population Risk & Fisheries
🔍 Similar Species
🗺️ Global Occurrence Map
Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 8 records indexed .
👥 Community & Contribute
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