Latest news with #SarahGandy
USA Today
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
The blobfish, 'bullied his whole life,' named fish of the year in public vote
The blobfish, 'bullied his whole life,' named fish of the year in public vote "It's time for the blobfish to have his moment in the sun." Show Caption Hide Caption Small ocean creature hatches in woman's hand A couple walking along a St. Pete Beach in Florida came across an unusual egg, a clearnose skate fish hatched and swam off. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, especially in New Zealand. A New Zealand-based environmental nonprofit, the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, announced over the weekend its annual "Fish of the Year" winner, which was none other than the blobfish. "The blobfish had been sitting patiently on the ocean floor, mouth open waiting for the next mollusk to come through to eat. 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,' and what a glorious moment it is," radio show More FM hosts Sarah Gandy and Paul Flynn said in a news release. More than 5,500 New Zealanders participated in the "Fish of the Year" competition, up from 1,021 in 2024, the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust reported. What is a blobfish? The flathead sculpin, commonly known as the blobfish, gained widespread popularity after it was named the world's ugliest animal during the 2013 British Science Festival. The blobfish is recognizable for its pink blob-like body, droopy, downturned mouth and large, saggy nose. Over the past decade, the fish has been made into countless memes, appeared in different forms of media and of course, sold as squishy plush toys. But the blobfish isn't all the "blobby" in it's natural habitat. In the cold, dark depths of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans − between 1,970 to 3,940 feet deep − the blobfish looks quite different, more like a "normal" fish, in fact. Scientist Richard Arnott told National Geographic that the fish only looks so gooey because of rapid depressurization when its brought to the surface. At the depths the blobfish resides, the pressure can be a hundred times stronger than on land, according to National Geographic. At around 3,280 feet down, human lungs and other air-filled spaces would collapse. To survive under this pressure − literally − the blobfish's body has a high water and fat content. Jelly-like flesh makes the blobfish less dense than water, allowing it to easily move around, according to National Geographic. Blobfish are known as lie-in-wait predators, meaning they lay on the seabed, waiting for anything that passed by to eat up. This allows them to preserve energy. As for reproduction, blobfish reproduce in groups, laying about 100,000 eggs in each nest, National Geographic states. Blobfish parents stay close to their nests as their eggs develop. Are blobfish endangered? Blobfish are not listed as an endangered species, but human activity has caused an increased amount of danger to the fish's livelihood. Deep-sea fishing and bottom trawling, when a weighted fishnet is dragged across the sea floor, are considered some of the blobfish's key predators. What is the Fish of the Year contest? Started in 2021, the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust's Fish of the Year competition serves as an educational opportunity for New Zealanders to learn more about marine life who may be endangered or live in a fragile ecosystem, the trust's website states. In 2021 and 2022, the Eagle Ray took home first place. In 2023, the Oceanic Manta Ray won and last year, the Spotty took home the crown. Who were the Fish of the Year runner-ups? According to the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, the top nine fish, following the blobfish were: No. 2: Orange roughy No. 3: Longfin eel and tuna No. 4: Whale shark No. 5: Big-bellied seahorse and manaia No. 6: Great white shark and mangō taniwha No. 7: Lamprey and piharau No. 8: Spine-tailed devil ray and whai Rahi No. 9: Basking shark and reremai No. 10: Blue cod and rāwaru Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'World's ugliest animal' is New Zealand's fish of the year
Don't judge a blob by its cover. Once dubbed the world's ugliest animal for its soft, lumpy appearance, the blobfish has made a stunning comeback: it was crowned this week as Fish of the Year by a New Zealand environmental group. The annual competition, held by the Mountain to Sea Conservation Trust, aims to raise awareness for New Zealand's freshwater and marine life. This year, the blobfish took home the coveted accolade with nearly 1,300 out of more than 5,500 votes cast. It's an underdog victory for the blobfish, which burst into mainstream notoriety as the mascot for the Ugly Animal Preservation Society in 2013. The gelatinous fish lives on the sea bed and grows to about 12in (30cm) in length. They're mainly found off the coast of Australia and Tasmania, where they live at depths of 2,000-4,000 ft (600-1,200m). While the blobfish is known for its misshapen silhouette, in its natural deep-sea habitat it actually resembles a regular fish, with its shape kept together by the high water pressure. However, when caught and rapidly brought to the water surface its body deforms into its hallmark mushy shape - the same one that has earned it the reputation of being among the ugliest creatures the world has seen. Coming in second place was the orange roughy, a deep-sea fish in the slimehead family - known for the mucous canals on their heads. It was "a battle of the deep sea forget-me-nots," said Kim Jones, co-director of the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust. "A battle of two quirky deep sea critters, with the blobfish's unconventional beauty helping get voters over the line." The orange roughy had appeared on track for the win, until a couple of local radio station hosts started a passionate campaign for the blobfish. "There is an up and coming fish, it needs your vote," Sarah Gandy and Paul Flynn, hosts of local radio network More FM, urged listeners on their show last week. "We need the blobfish to win." News of the blobfish's victory has been celebrated by the radio hosts. "The blobfish had been sitting patiently on the ocean floor, mouth open waiting for the next mollusc to come through to eat," the pair said. "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', and what a glorious moment it is!" Besides molluscs, the blobfish also eats custaceans like crabs and lobsters, as well as sea urchins. Instead of a skeleton and scales, the blobfish has a soft body and flabby skin. Nine of the ten nominees for fish of the year are considered by conservation groups to be vulnerable, according to the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust. This includes the blobfish, which are vulnerable to deep-sea trawling. New Zealand also has a Bird of the Year contest, organised by conservation organisation Forest & Bird. The latest winner, crowned last September, was the hoiho, a rare penguin species. John Oliver's pick wins NZ Bird of the Century poll The ugly animals who need saving too
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'World's ugliest animal' wins New Zealand's fish of the year
Don't judge a blob by its cover. Once dubbed the world's ugliest animal for its soft, lumpy appearance, the blobfish has made a stunning comeback: it was crowned this week as Fish of the Year by a New Zealand environmental group. The annual competition, held by the Mountain to Sea Conservation Trust, aims to raise awareness for New Zealand's freshwater and marine life. This year, the blobfish took home the coveted accolade with nearly 1,300 out of more than 5,500 votes cast. It's an underdog victory for the blobfish, which burst into mainstream notoriety as the mascot for the Ugly Animal Preservation Society in 2013. The gelatinous fish lives on the sea bed and grows to about 12in (30cm) in length. They're mainly found off the coast of Australia and Tasmania, where they live at depths of 2,000-4,000 ft (600-1,200m). While the blobfish is known for its misshapen silhouette, in its natural deep-sea habitat it actually resembles a regular fish, with its shape kept together by the high water pressure. However, when caught and rapidly brought to the water surface its body deforms into its hallmark mushy shape - the same one that has earned it the reputation of being among the ugliest creatures the world has seen. Coming in second place was the orange roughy, a deep-sea fish in the slimehead family - known for the mucous canals on their heads. It was "a battle of the deep sea forget-me-nots," said Kim Jones, co-director of the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust. "A battle of two quirky deep sea critters, with the blobfish's unconventional beauty helping get voters over the line." The orange roughy had appeared on track for the win, until a couple of local radio station hosts started a passionate campaign for the blobfish. "There is an up and coming fish, it needs your vote," Sarah Gandy and Paul Flynn, hosts of local radio network More FM, urged listeners on their show last week. "We need the blobfish to win." News of the blobfish's victory has been celebrated by the radio hosts. "The blobfish had been sitting patiently on the ocean floor, mouth open waiting for the next mollusc to come through to eat," the pair said. "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', and what a glorious moment it is!" Besides molluscs, the blobfish also eats custaceans like crabs and lobsters, as well as sea urchins. Instead of a skeleton and scales, the blobfish has a soft body and flabby skin. Nine of the ten nominees for fish of the year are considered by conservation groups to be vulnerable, according to the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust. This includes the blobfish, which are vulnerable to deep-sea trawling. New Zealand also has a Bird of the Year contest, organised by conservation organisation Forest & Bird. The latest winner, crowned last September, was the hoiho, a rare penguin species. John Oliver's pick wins NZ Bird of the Century poll The ugly animals who need saving too
BBC News
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Blobfish: 'World's ugliest animal' is NZ's fish of the year
Don't judge a blob by its dubbed the world's ugliest animal for its soft, lumpy appearance, the blobfish has made a stunning comeback: it was crowned this week as Fish of the Year by a New Zealand environmental annual competition, held by the Mountain to Sea Conservation Trust, aims to raise awareness for New Zealand's freshwater and marine year, the blobfish took home the coveted accolade with nearly 1,300 out of more than 5,500 votes cast. It's an underdog victory for the blobfish, which burst into mainstream notoriety as the mascot for the Ugly Animal Preservation Society in gelatinous fish lives on the sea bed and grows to about 12in (30cm) in length. They're mainly found off the coast of Australia and Tasmania, where they live at depths of 2,000-4,000 ft (600-1,200m).While the blobfish is known for its misshapen silhouette, in its natural deep-sea habitat it actually resembles a regular fish, with its shape kept together by the high water when caught and rapidly brought to the water surface its body deforms into its hallmark mushy shape - the same one that has earned it the reputation of being among the ugliest creatures the world has seen. Coming in second place was the orange roughy, a deep-sea fish in the slimehead family - known for the mucous canals on their was "a battle of the deep sea forget-me-nots," said Kim Jones, co-director of the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust. "A battle of two quirky deep sea critters, with the blobfish's unconventional beauty helping get voters over the line."The orange roughy had appeared on track for the win, until a couple of local radio station hosts started a passionate campaign for the blobfish."There is an up and coming fish, it needs your vote," Sarah Gandy and Paul Flynn, hosts of local radio network More FM, urged listeners on their show last week. "We need the blobfish to win."News of the blobfish's victory has been celebrated by the radio hosts. "The blobfish had been sitting patiently on the ocean floor, mouth open waiting for the next mollusc to come through to eat," the pair said. "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', and what a glorious moment it is!"Besides molluscs, the blobfish also eats custaceans like crabs and lobsters, as well as sea of a skeleton and scales, the blobfish has a soft body and flabby of the ten nominees for fish of the year are considered by conservation groups to be vulnerable, according to the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust. This includes the blobfish, which are vulnerable to deep-sea Zealand also has a Bird of the Year contest, organised by conservation organisation Forest & Bird. The latest winner, crowned last September, was the hoiho, a rare penguin species.
CNN
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Blobfish overcomes notoriety as ‘world's ugliest animal' to win NZ ‘fish of the year'
It has been a dramatic change of fortunes for the blobfish. Back in 2013, the gelatinous sea creature was declared the world's ugliest animal. But now it has been voted New Zealand's 'fish of the year' in a competition aimed at raising awareness of the country's marine life and its fragile ecosystem. Organized by the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, the annual event seeks to familiarize New Zealanders with the wide variety of fish living in the country's fresh and sea water environments. According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), blobfish – which grow to about 12 inches (30 centimeters) long – 'look like a big, blobby tadpole, just a mass of pale, jelly-like flesh with puffy, loose skin, a big nose and beady, staring eyes.' They are found mainly off the coast of southeastern Australia and Tasmania and usually reside at depths of 2,000 to 4,000 feet (600 to 1,200 meters). Votes were submitted on the website of the not-for-profit trust for just over two weeks this month, with the polls closing on March 16. A total of 5,583 votes were cast in all. The blobfish, which is considered vulnerable, emerged victorious, beating its nearest rival – the orange roughy – by almost 300 votes. According to the trust's announcement of the news, the orange roughy looked set for victory until its uglier rival won the backing of New Zealand radio network More FM. Sarah Gandy and Paul Flynn, hosts of the station's Drive show, said: 'We and the people of New Zealand had had enough of other fish getting all the headlines. The blobfish had been sitting patiently on the ocean floor, mouth open waiting for the next mollusc to come through to eat. 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', and what a glorious moment it is!' Kim Jones, co-director of the trust, said it was 'a battle of two quirky deep sea critters, with the blobfish's unconventional beauty helping get voters over the line.' Speaking ahead of the event, Jones explained the idea behind the initiative: 'Many of our freshwater and marine fish are found nowhere else in the world. With climate change and land use patterns putting significant strain on our waterways, many of our fish are at risk of disappearing forever.'
