Neighbors, Old and New

Considerable discussion and controversy are making headlines regarding the fact that Osama bin Laden's closest neighbor for the past five years has been a Pakistani military garrison. It remains to be seen how circumstances will pan out.

Meanwhile, there's no dispute about bin Laden's new neighbor. Meet the slimy hagfish.




Hagfish

The hagfish does cleanup of the ocean floor. It is often called the slimy hagfish since it secretes a massive amount of mucous which covers its whole body. A toothy mouth and a toothy tongue allow the hagfish to burrow into dead bodies and eat from the inside out.




Hagfish mouth

While the Pakistani military was reportedly -- uh, hum -- totally oblivious of having Osama bin Laden as a neighbor, it's a certainty that bottom-feeding hagfish are not in the least bit unaware nor standoffish. They have an appetite for neighborliness.

Update your address books accordingly.