The 'ugly' blobfish looks much svelter underwater
In 2013, the blobfish was voted World's Ugliest Animal by the Ugly Animal Preservation Society in an effort to get some attention for creatures who aren't exactly panda-cute. The blobfish fit the bill, largely because most of us had only seen it in a viral photo where it looked like it was melting—and it was dead.
Oh, how fortunes can change. This month, the blobfish was named New Zealand's Fish of the Year in an annual contest to promote biodiversity.
But the viral blobfish that we all know and love doesn't actually look like the fish who lives deep underwater.
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National Geographic
26-03-2025
- National Geographic
The 'ugly' blobfish looks much svelter underwater
In 2013, the blobfish was voted World's Ugliest Animal by the Ugly Animal Preservation Society in an effort to get some attention for creatures who aren't exactly panda-cute. The blobfish fit the bill, largely because most of us had only seen it in a viral photo where it looked like it was melting—and it was dead. Oh, how fortunes can change. This month, the blobfish was named New Zealand's Fish of the Year in an annual contest to promote biodiversity. But the viral blobfish that we all know and love doesn't actually look like the fish who lives deep underwater.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
Once dubbed ‘world's ugliest animal', blobfish crowned New Zealand's Fish of the
KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 — The blobfish, once labelled the 'world's ugliest animal', has now won New Zealand's Fish of the Year, beating contenders like the longfin eel and pygmy pipehorse in the annual competition. The Guardian reported that the deep-sea species, Psychrolutes marcidus, is found in the highly pressurised depths off the coasts of New Zealand and Australia. Unlike most fish, it lacks a swim bladder, full skeleton, muscles, or scales. Instead, its body is made of gelatinous tissue with a lower density than water, allowing it to float just above the seafloor. Believed to have a lifespan of up to 130 years, the blobfish is slow-moving and relies on an ambush strategy to catch prey. 'It sort of sits there and waits for prey to come very close and practically walk into its mouth before it eats them,' said Konrad Kurta, a spokesperson from the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, which organises the annual competition. The report further stated that the fish first gained international attention over a decade ago when a crew member on a New Zealand research vessel snapped a photo of the rarely seen species. Its unique, droopy appearance quickly became an internet meme. Kurta explained that while the pressure of deep-sea water maintains the fish's natural shape, bringing it to the surface causes decompression, making it appear distorted. 'Regrettably, when it is pulled up, that sudden decompression causes it to become all disfigured,' he reportedly said. While little research has been done on its conservation status, the blobfish's population and habitat are considered vulnerable due to deep-sea trawling, particularly for orange roughy. The Fish of the Year contest, launched in 2020 and inspired by the popular Bird of the Year competition, saw a record-breaking 5,583 votes this year, compared to 1,021 last year. The blobfish won with 1,286 votes, narrowly beating the orange roughy, which had backing from Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, and the Environmental Law Packard, a spokesperson for the Environmental Law Initiative, welcomed the blobfish's win, saying, 'From an ecosystem perspective, a win for blobfish is a win for orange roughy.' New Zealand is responsible for about 80 per cent of the global orange roughy catch, with environmental groups regularly calling for a halt to deep-sea trawling due to its impact on marine ecosystems. Other contenders in the competition included the longfin eel, a pygmy pipehorse, and several critically endangered fish said the contest aims to raise awareness of New Zealand's diverse marine and freshwater fish, with about 85 per cent considered vulnerable. 'That these fish exist is often the first step to getting people invested and interested in what's happening below the waterline.'
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Blobfish, once dubbed 'world's ugliest animal,' named fish of the year in New Zealand
This sea creature may have just experienced the "ugly duckling" glowup of the fish world. Once dubbed the "world's ugliest animal," the blobfish – scientific name Psychrolutes marcidus – has been named New Zealand's Fish of the Year in a competition created by the conservation nonprofit Mountains to Sea. MORE: Fish species thought to be extinct for 85 years rediscovered "The blobfish had been sitting patiently on the ocean floor, mouth open, waiting for the next mollusk to come through to eat," the competition's creators wrote in a press release. "He has been bullied his whole life and we thought, 'stuff this, it's time for the blobfish to have his moment in the sun.'" The campaign was created to raise awareness about the environmental impacts of destructive bottom trawling – a fishing method that involves dragging a large, weighted net along the ocean floor to catch fish and other marine life – and the species it endangers, according to the nonprofit. Blobfish are considered deep-sea species and are often found in cold, dark habitats between 1,970 and 3,940 feet deep in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. They are generally known as a "pale pink gelatinous blob with a droopy, downturned mouth and large, sagging nose," according to National Geographic. MORE: Scientists baffled over hundreds of fish 'spinning and whirling' dead onto South Florida shores But their unusual appearance and physiology may be designed to withstand extreme pressure in the ocean depths, scientists say. In 2013, the blobfish was voted the world's ugliest animal species in a campaign created by the Ugly Animal Preservation Society. The nonprofit aims to raise awareness for threatened species that may not be aesthetically pleasing and therefore potentially less likely to be researched or protected. "Uglier animals are neglected," the mission statement for the Ugly Animal Preservation Society states. MORE: World's Ugliest Dog competition won by Scamp the Tramp The blobfish is considered a vulnerable species due to overfishing and habitat destruction. Blobfish, once dubbed 'world's ugliest animal,' named fish of the year in New Zealand originally appeared on
