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Over 90% of the ocean is unexplored and billions of other species like the Blobfish could exist.Īlmost next to nothing is known about the blobfish, another reason why their remaining numbers should be preserved. The Blobfish and their existence should be made aware so we can preserve their numbers. The Society says that too much focus is put on the cute animals such as dogs, cats and rabbits. The Ugly Animal Preservation Society adopted the blobfish as their mascot. Scientists speculate that the numbers of blobfish in the world ranges from zero to very few. The last time multiple blobfish were spotted in their natural habitat of Australia and Tasmania was in 2006. The only way to prevent this, is to ban deep-sea trawling, a law that has not been passed yet. In a nutshell, their bodies slowly explode. When not on the sea floor, their bodies expand until they are practically a puddle. Scientists believe that that's why the blobfish look the way they do. The ocean bottom has such a deep pressure that gas bladders, which maintain buoyancy in fish, would not provide buoyancy. As the air pressure is drastically different on the sea floor than on the surface, their bodies will not be used to the pressure which is any bit different from the sea floor. Blobfish Live Long Lives While their exact life expectancy is not actually known, fish that live in the deep ocean typically have longer lives than those that live in shallower water. As the blobfish is nothing but a large mass of gelatinous goo, it will always get tangled in the nets. This interesting sea creature is being made extinct thanks to deep-sea trawling. But here's a few reasons why you should care about the future of these sea creatures.

Instead, they probably wait patiently near the sea floor for small crustaceans and other edible matter to float into their mouths.Ever heard of the blobfish? I don't expect you to. Without much bodily structure or muscles, they can't really chase prey. Fortunately, their bodies are less dense that the water around them, so they float just above the floor of the ocean. Their gelatinous bodies lack a swim bladder, which is what allows other fish to maintain buoyancy. Scientists believe they're related to another family of fish known as flathead sculpins. Because these fish live deep underwater in only a few areas, scientists have not been able to study them much in their natural habitat. 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. We need to take measures to protect them, as well as other species living in the. If you're like many kids, your list might include animals such as puppies, kittens, pandas, koala bears, and bunnies. Slower-moving blobfish are also eaten by eels, squid and other deep-sea. 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.