A truck full of hagfish, an eel-like creature that secretes slime, overturned on an Oregon highway Thursday, leaving the road and a car completely drenched in a viscous substance.
The toppled vehicle was holding around 7,500 pounds of the fish that were destined for Korea, a country that prizes the animal and treats it as a delicacy, according to Oregon Live.
Oregon State Police/Handout via REUTERS
Oregon State Police/Handout via REUTERS
Depoe Bay Fire District/Handout via REUTERS
Hagfish ooze extra slime when they are distressed, so the five-car crash likely triggered increased amounts of the mucus. In fact, the ocean-dwellers are often so mired in stickiness that they are colloquially referred to as slime eels.
(WATCH: Hagfish feeding)
The road and at least one nearby car were almost entirely covered in goo, forcing the state’s department of transportation to come help clean up the mess.
Thanks @OregonDOT pic.twitter.com/SmwHtWLeQ3
— Depoe Bay Fire Dist. (@DepoeBayFire) July 13, 2017
The crash was reportedly caused by an abrupt construction point on a busy road. The driver apparently didn’t have enough time to brake once he noticed the traffic, ultimately triggering multiple collisions between other cars on the road. One person involved suffered minor injuries, while no one else was harmed — besides perhaps the hagfish, who can’t survive out of salt water.
Animals seem to spill on highways and busy roads somewhat often. Just weeks ago in late June, a truck driving in Texas crashed causing a number of pigs to spill onto the road. Authorities spent hours rounding up the swine, causing quite a spectacle for rubbernecking drivers.
Send tips to eric@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.