So what else do we know about the blobfish? Unfortunately, the answer is: not much. When it's at home on the bottom of the sea, it looks pretty much like a normal fish. When a blobfish gets caught in a net and is brought to the surface where there is very little pressure, decompression causes it to look quite different than it usually does. As a result, the body of a blobfish features very soft bones, very little muscle, and jelly-like flesh. The blobfish ( Psychrolutes marcidus) can usually be found 2,000-4,000 feet deep in the waters off the coasts of Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand.Īt those depths, the home of the blobfish consists of minimal light and crushing pressure. It's floppy, sad face and blob-like body suffered from decompression. The blobfish got a bit of a raw deal, though. After the votes were counted, the outcome was clear: the blobfish was declared the 'World's Ugliest Animal' by the Ugly Animal Preservation Society in 2013. Blobby,' became famous a decade later when his picture was used in an Internet poll of ugly animals. In fact, most people have probably seen the same picture of a seemingly-sad blobfish out of water, taken by Kerryn Parkinson during a 2003 NORFANZ expedition off the coast of New Zealand. Have you ever seen a blobfish? While we try to avoid using the word 'ugly,' the blobfish does seem to be aesthetically challenged.Ĭhances are, if you've ever seen a blobfish, it's probably been a picture on the Internet, not a live blobfish. Why not? Those animals routinely make the list of the world's ugliest animals.Īnd which of those is considered the world's ugliest animal? That dubious distinction belongs to the poor blobfish.

Your list would probably not include animals such as proboscis monkeys, tapirs, naked mole rats, pangolins, California condors, or blobfish. What do these animals have in common? They're undeniably cute. If you're like many kids, your list might include animals such as puppies, kittens, pandas, koala bears, and bunnies. Who knows where else they might be? That’s just one of the tantalizing mysteries about this amazing creature.If you were to make a list of animals that you would like to have a pet, which animals would make the list? While not all animals are suitable as pets, let's pretend that you can keep any animal as a pet for purposes of this mental exercise. We don’t know all the locations blobfish may live – we can chalk that up as another one of the mysteries of the deep, but we know for certain they are found near Tasmania, Australia, and New Zealand. That’s partly due to the texture of the fish as it surfaces, but also because blobfish doesn’t have much flavor. And although many of them die as a result of the trawling nets, we don’t eat them. Most of the threat to their population comes from humans. That deep under the water, the blobfish is safe from predators – at least as far as we know. You can find it on t-shirts, memes, and even featured in songs.

The blobfish has become one of the most instantly recognizable deep-sea creatures out there. They Are Riding a Wave of Popularityīeing this ugly has its perks.

Their lifespan and reproductive habits are unknown to us.Īlthough we don’t know much about their current numbers, some scientists worry that they are in danger of extinction. Baffert: Meds applied to Derby winner had steroid testplex leo pharmaīecause they live so deep in the water, we haven’t been able to learn too much about them.

Ugly fish underwater