# Integrative biology of fiber-reinforced slime in hagfishes

> **NSF 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT** · Chapman University (CA) · $728,724

## Abstract

Hagfishes are a group of ancient fishes that are best known for their ability to fend off predators including sharks by producing huge volumes of fibrous slime in the blink of an eye. This research project focuses on hagfish slime and has two main goals. The first is to understand how hagfishes can make liters of this material in a fraction of a second. To do this we will study slime deployment in the laboratory using a custom high-speed video setup. The second goal is to investigate the slime defense trait in the more than 90 species of hagfishes in the world to better understand how they make this fascinating material and how it evolved. Our study will focus on a place that has eight species of hagfishes in a small area – the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador. With its unique mixture of mucus and silk-like fibers, hagfish defensive slime has material properties that are unlike any synthetic material made by humans. Understanding the mechanisms of its synthesis and deployment could lead to important innovations in applications such as fire suppression.

This project will investigate the fiber-reinforced defensive secretions created by the deep-sea animals known as hagfishes. Hagfishes are known to defend themselves from fish predators using an ultra-dilute fibrous biomaterial that they eject from specialized slime glands, but little is known about how this material deploys in seawater or how it differs among the 90+ species of hagfishes. In this project, we will elucidate the b

## Key facts

- **NSF award ID:** 2529016
- **Awardee organization:** Chapman University (CA)
- **SAM.gov UEI:** EN9DMTETW3N1
- **PI:** Douglas S Fudge
- **Primary program:** 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
- **All programs:** UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION
- **Estimated total:** $728,724
- **Funds obligated:** $728,724
- **Transaction type:** Standard Grant
- **Period:** 09/01/2025 → 08/31/2028

## Primary source

NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2529016

## Citation

> US National Science Foundation, Award 2529016, Integrative biology of fiber-reinforced slime in hagfishes. Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-07 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nsf/2529016. Licensed CC0.

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