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The world’s slimiest animal - Noah R. Bressman and Douglas Fudge

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TEDEd Animation

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In 2017, a truck screeched to a halt. One of its containers slid off, hit a car, and spilled its contents— thousands of kilograms of hagfish. The result of this accident was an absolute mess: the highway was coated in a thick slime that took the fire department 7 hours to clear. How did these creatures create this stupendous supply of slime? Noah R. Bressman and Douglas Fudge investigate.

Hagfish slime is very effective at deterring would-be fish predators like sharks but is ineffective against bird and mammal predators. Why doesn’t their slime defend against non-fish predators?

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Noah R. Bressman, Douglas Fudge
  • Director Denys Spolitak
  • Narrator Jack Cutmore-Scott
  • Music Jarrett Farkas
  • Sound Designer and Mixer Weston Fonger
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Producer Anna Bechtol
  • Associate Producer Sazia Afrin
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Script Producer Cella Wright

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