Suffocating in slime

The disgusting stuff produced by hagfish is usually called “slime” or “mucus,” but these words don’t really do it justice. It’s an incredible, nightmarish substance. It is slime, but it’s more than slime, and worse than slime. It contains extremely long, tough microscopic fibres, sort of like the fibres of a cobweb. The “snot snake” can actually kill would-be predators by producing so much ropey, clinging slime that it clogs their gills and suffocates them. A nasty way to go. See: Scientists are still learning cool new things about gooey hagfish slime.