sticky, blinding, deadly. In this video, you will see some of the smartest, craziest, and even weaponized ways that animals use slime produce from their own bodies. And make sure to stick around for number one. This is a creature that cannon blasted slime like no other animal on the planet. Okay, it's time to slime in. Starting off at number six, we have to talk about the one and only Hagfish. This slimy wormlike creature appears harmless, but it has a superpower that can even stop the bite from a hungry shark. Hagfish are eel-like sea creatures that are found throughout the world's ocean. And humans rarely encounter them, except once in a while fishing. They live down deep in the darkest parts of our ocean, scavenging on dead fish, worms, and

anything decaying on the seafloor, making them one of the ocean's ultimate cleanup crews. And here's something even more incredible. Hagfish also have the ability to twist their own bodies and tie themselves into a knot. And they use this position for extra leverage while feeding and to wipe off excess slime from their skin. That's right. Their slime can be even too slimy for the hagfish itself. And speaking of that slippery slime, this is what makes the hagfish disturbing while it feeds. This is like something straight out of Stranger Things. to eat. The hagfish uses its demigorgan-like jaws to burrow down into carcasses and consume the rotting flesh from the inside out. But

what happens when something tries to eat the hackfish? This is where the slimeing truly begins. When threatened or attacked, the hackfish can blast out massive amounts of thick, sticky slime within seconds. And when excreted, this slime can swell up to 10,000 times its original volume. So just one hackfish can produce liters of slime all by itself. And that's the reason why the hagfish is nicknamed the slime eel. It produces the slime by shooting it out of tiny pores all up and down its body. When the slime enters the water, it floods the surrounding area, infesting everything. And if a predator bites into the hagfish, the slime fills its mouth completely. And this is like the

ultimate slime. It is thick, goopy, and impossible to spit out. And you want to know what else is crazy? Up close, the slime is made of thousands of microscopic protein fibers that are tightly wound like little balls of yarn. As soon as they're released, they rapidly uncoil, spreading out into a vast tangled web. And that web can clog a predator's gills and even cause it to suffocate. So once that slime gets into the mouth of the predator, they can't breathe and they're forced to release the hackfish and retreat or risk dying in the struggle. This slime can't be deadly. Scientists have been studying hackfish slime for decades, trying to develop ultra strong, flexible biioaterial, potentially used in body armor and advanced fabrics. Because

those protein threads are incredibly durable, few defenses in the entire animal kingdom are as effective as this slime. But while the hagfish uses its slime as a defense mechanism, this next creature uses its mucus to hunt. At number five, we have the milky rivetworm. People often associate slime with slow snail-like movement. But with this creature, its mucus can move fast, keeping it on the go. The milky ribbon worm is a marine species of worm found along the Atlantic coast of North America. And unlike others on this slime list, its mucus supports its locomotion or movement and its predatory behaviors.

Here's how it works. The first role of its slime is navigating its environment. The worm secretes a thin layer of mucus beneath its body, allowing it to glide smoothly over sand and mud using tiny hair-like structures called psyia. But like I said, there's another side to this pale ribbon-like predator. Some of these worms can stretch out to several feet long, appearing like a strip of milky tape drifting across the sand. And that length isn't just for show, it's part of how the animal hunts. Milky ribbon worms possess a long extendable proboscus that can rapidly eject from their body to capture their prey. And I have to say, when you see this proboscus eject out in person, you can hardly

believe your eyes. It is so rapid, so unusual, it looks like it's something straight out of a sci-fi novel. But they use this proboscus as a means to hunt. It is coated in, you guessed it, slime, which helps the worm swallow small invertebrates or invade the shells of an unsuspecting clam. And the same mucus that allows it to glide also keeps its long and delicate body hydrated, slippery, and making it difficult for predators to grasp. Now, while the milky ribbon worm uses its slime to glide through mud and sand and to hunt, this next creature uses it for a completely different purpose. In fact, this next

creature uses it as a fortress. Imagine you're alone in the dark ocean at night. What would you do to stay safe from a predator? Most animals hide while others have evolved to fight. But the parrot fish does something else altogether. It completely disappears. Every single night, the parrot fish will secrete a thick layer of mucus from its skin. This mucus forms a clear bubble-like cocoon that completely wraps around its entire body. So, picture that, a pretty goodized fish completely cocooned in a slime sleeping bag. So, why would this animal develop such an ability, you might ask? Well, the parrot fish are herbivores, and they're rather peaceful creatures. They use their beak-like

teeth to scrape algae off coral reefs and rocks, not to fight or consume other fish. So, because they can't bite back, they choose to hide. The mucous cocoon completely conceals their scent. That means predators can't detect them at all. It shuts down the chemical cues that sharks, eels, and other hunters rely upon to track their prey. And for an added bonus, the slime cocoon also acts like an underwater mosquito net, keeping out parasites that would otherwise attack the fish while it sleeps. Studies have actually documented this fact that para fish with slime cocoons get far fewer parasites underwater. And while producing this slimy sleepy bag does take energy, the payoff is well worth it. Wrapped inside,

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teeth go numb at the dentist, imagine that sensation filling your entire mouth the moment you bite into your next meal. And this is the power held by the banana slug. These bright yellow, green, or brown slugs live in the wet, cool forest along North America's Pacific coast. And they often do look like ripe bananas, giving them the fitting name banana slump. Unfortunately, they have no external shell or sharp appendages and certainly don't look intimidating at all. This makes them easy targets for salamanders, snakes, and birds that live amongst the forest. So, how exactly do they survive? Well, they use their numbing slime. When the slug feels threatened, it will secrete a thick

layer of mucus. And this slime triggers a powerful numbing and irritating sensation in any predator's mouth, tongue, or throat, sending the wouldbe attacker into a panic and forcing them to spit out the slug and back away. And when stressed, the banana slug has the ability to boost its slime output to even greater amounts. This ensures it never runs out of slime during a fight. And that mucus can hold up to 100 times its weight in water, meaning that even a heavy rain shower won't wash it away. And yes, this slime even works on humans. If you touch a banana slug bare-handed, your fingers can temporarily go numb, and you're not necessarily being poisoned, but it is a very weird sensation. Now, I've held my

fair share of banana slugs over the years filming for Brave Wilderness, and I can tell you that slime doesn't only make your skin tingly. It's also incredibly sticky. It is like the stickiest snot Elmer glue like secretion you will ever encounter. So unless you want to spend a long time washing your hands, I'd say admire those banana slugs from a good safe distance. Take a picture and keep hiking on the trail. Hiking in the forest encountering a giant colorful slug might come with the temptation to touch it, which is also kind of like this next creature that you very well may encounter while exploring the tide. At number two, we have one of

the ocean's most curious oddities, the sea cucumber. These elongated animals are part of the econorm family which are related to sea stars, sea urchins, and sand dollars. And they live on the ocean floor pretty much everywhere on the planet. Now, you've probably heard the term carnivore, omnivore, and herbivore, but this creature is none of those. It's a detritavor, meaning they feed on decaying plants and organisms to recycle nutrients. Most often found on the surface of the sand, they actually play a key part in keeping all of our oceans healthy. So, how could something named after a vegetable possess incredible abilities? Well, its main defense tactic is surprisingly shocking. The sea

cucumber has the ability to shoot out long sticky threads that look like tentacles, but these aren't extra arms. They're actually part of its internal guts that it has the ability to blast out. Now, these threads are coated in a superglue-like slime that can tangle, trap, and even suffocate predators. This sticky mass can wrap around fish, crabs, or anything nearby, stopping them instantly in their tracks. And these slimy tentacles are even strong enough to scare off much bigger predators like the seon. But after firing them out, the sea cucumber will take days to regrow these organs and their slime. But in the end, it's all a means of survival, utilizing this defensive counter as a

last resort measure. And be warned, these threads are extremely sticky to humans as well and are very hard to remove. I have experienced this on more than one occasion while filming in tide pools around the world. But the cool thing about sea cucumbers is they come in multiple variants. They can be large, small, and different colorations. They're very much an ocean oddity that I always find fascinating when exploring these environments. and they have to have one of the most intense survival tactics ever. Having to puke up their own guts just to live another day. But now we've arrived to the number one spot on our list where this next bizarre creature takes its use of slime to

superherolike levels. At number one, we have the one and only velvet worm. Picture a steady and calm-mannered rubberyike caterpillar with multiple sets of legs. That is the velvet worm. Sounds pretty harmless, right? Well, prepare yourself. These worms live in tropical rainforest all throughout the southern hemisphere. And while they may appear slow and innocent, don't be deceived. They are formidable predators. Velvet worms belong to an ancient and entirely distinct group of animals called onoffer. A lineage that dates back to over 500 million years. And despite their name and appearance, they aren't true worms. In fact, they aren't insects at all.

They form their own unique branch on the animal family tree. More closely related to arthropods and spiders than actual worms. To many scientists, they are considered living fossils. And we all know if a species has the ability to survive on our planet for that long, it didn't happen by accident. And it's more likely a sign that they've evolved some truly exceptional abilities. Sealed within its head are two specialized tubes that operate like biological rocket launchers. And in an instant, they can unleash them, changing themselves from a careful crawler into a deadly marksman. The velvet worm sprays a milky white slime in long crisscrossing strands that whip through the air and spread outward like a

rapidly expanding net. Very much like how Spider-Man has the ability to shoot webs from his hands, the anocophra has the ability to shoot strands of sticky slime from its face. And when it hits its target, like an insect or a spider, that slime sticks and hardens fast, instantly trapping the victim and making it unable to move at all. And this is when the velvet worm closes in for a feed. Hidden from sight, its knifelike jaws will emerge, slicing into the immobilized prey. It releases digestive saliva that liquefies tissues, turning it into a nutrientrich meal. And if a predator gets too close, the same weapon is deployed. A sudden blast of slime that sends the attacker fleeing. And

here's the wild part. The velvet worm is almost completely blind. It does have two tiny eyes, but they barely work at all. Rather than relying on sight, they detect subtle air currents created by moving prey, allowing them to aim their slime with remarkable precision. And after a strike, they'll even consume some of their dried up slime to reclaim the valuable proteins lost. Essentially making it reusable ammunition from a living biological launcher, an ability that almost no other living creature possesses. Now, the red velvet worm of Costa Rica is a creature that I searched for years and years. In fact, I almost gave up believing that they existed at all until one fateful night, we came across one crawling

across a rock. And I'll never forget the moment I actually got to hold it in my hand. It was like a dream come true. At least for this nature videographer, it is something I will always remember for as long as I live. So, in conclusion, slime isn't just some sticky goop. It can be used as a disguise, as a shield, as a trap, and sometimes even as a weapon of survival. By far the coolest animal I've ever found. Coyote was pretty impressed and jealous. Yeah, maybe a little