Imagine dragging your bare belly over splintered wood and jagged rocks. That’s what slugs and snails do all the time! Surprisingly, moving over rough surfaces doesn’t hurt these animals. That’s all thanks to mucus!

Two different kinds of slime help a snail move, says Antonio Cerullo. He’s a biologist who has studied snail slime. On a flat surface, like a table, a snail’s body releases mucus that’s slippery. That helps the snail glide easily over bumps in its path. But if the snail crawls on a surface that’s slanted upward, it starts producing a stickier type of mucus. This substance allows the snail to cling to anything—even upside down!

Imagine sliding around on your bare belly. You cross over splintered wood and jagged rocks. That’s what slugs and snails do all the time! They move over rough surfaces, but it doesn’t hurt. That’s all thanks to mucus!

Snails have two different kinds of slime. They help the animals move, says Antonio Cerullo. He’s a biologist who has studied snail slime. A snail’s body oozes slippery mucus when on a flat surface, like a table. That helps the snail glide easily over bumps. But sometimes the snail crawls on a surface that’s slanted upward. Then it makes a stickier type of mucus. It allows the snail to cling to anything. The snail can even stick upside down!

A hungry shark swims through the Pacific Ocean, searching for its next meal. It spots a hagfish, an eel-like animal, resting on the seafloor. The shark moves in and takes a bite. But instead of food, its mouth suddenly fills with gooey slime!

The hagfish is one of nature’s most impressive slime makers. It has 81 slime-making organs on each side of its body! When a predator attacks a hagfish, these glands release mucus and tiny silky fibers. These threads expand and mix with the saltwater, clogging the attacker’s mouth and gills so the hagfish can wriggle away.

There are other animals that use slime for self-defense, but the hagfish is by far the slimiest. “No other animal compares,” says biologist Yu Zeng, who has studied hagfish.

A hungry shark swims through the Pacific Ocean. It’s looking for its next meal. It spots a hagfish. This eel-like animal is resting on the seafloor. The shark moves in and takes a bite. But its mouth suddenly fills with gooey slime!

The hagfish is one of nature’s best slime makers. It has 81 slime-making organs on each side of its body! A predator may try to attack. That’s when these glands release mucus and tiny silky fibers. These threads expand and mix with the salt water. That clogs the attacker’s mouth and gills. The hagfish can then slip away.

There are other animals that use slime for self-defense. But the hagfish is by far the slimiest. “No other animal compares,” says biologist Yu Zeng. He has studied hagfish.

You breathe in and out through your mouth and nose. But if you were a frog, you would also breathe through your skin! This special ability allows frogs to take in oxygen even when they’re underwater.

Unfortunately, it also means their delicate skin can absorb disease-causing germs. To keep these germs out, frogs are covered in a layer of slippery mucus. This slime doesn’t just slow down potential germy invaders. It also contains special proteins that can kill many kinds of germs.

One frog species, called the fungoid frog, has proteins in its mucus that attack the germ that causes the flu. Scientists hope to use these substances to create treatments that help people recover from the illness.

You breathe in and out through your mouth and nose. But a frog can also breathe through its skin! This allows frogs to take in oxygen even when they’re underwater.

But it also means their skin can absorb germs that cause disease. That’s why frogs are covered in a layer of slippery mucus. The slimy coating doesn’t just keep germy invaders out. It also contains special proteins. They can kill many kinds of germs.

One frog species is called the fungoid frog. It has proteins in its mucus that attack the germ that causes the flu. Scientists hope to use the proteins to create medicines. They could help people recover from the illness.