![]() The blobfish isn't so unattractive when it's not a fish out of water, scientists think. It is this preserved individual specimen that people associate with the name "blobfish," and it is the one that was voted the ugliest animal in a mascot contest held by the comedy/conservation troupe, the Ugly Animal Preservation Society, in 2013. ![]() Affectionately known as Mr Blobby, this blobfish resembles an inflatable character balloon that's lost a good amount of its helium. The best-known blobfish specimen was found by a research vessel, NORFANZ, in 2003 and is preserved at the Australian Museum. Blobfish, however, die at the air pressure levels at sea level, and, therefore, remain elusively underphotographed. Most specimens encountered by humans are dead ones discarded by deep-sea fishing trawlers that use nets to sweep up marine animals from the bottom of the ocean in an effort to catch edible fish. Thanks to that, it floats slightly above the floor of the ocean, where it waits for small crustaceans and other edible matter to pass by so it can suck them up for food.īecause blobfish are found only in a few areas of the world and at depths between 2,000 and 4,000 feet below the surface of the water, they are rarely encountered live. Instead, its body is jelly-like, with a density slightly lower than the water in which it lives. However, that doesn't mean that the blobfish just sinks to the ocean bottom. It has soft bones and few muscles and lacks a swim bladder, the gas-filled internal organ that allows most bony fish to control their ability to stay afloat in water. Videos endorsing various ugly animal candidates received nearly 100,000 views on YouTube and thousands of people voted, the society reported.įitzmaurice said the blobfish is intended to be the society’s global mascot forever, but it may reconsider if it feels other animals need a little extra publicity.The blobfish ( Psychrolutes marcidus) is a foot-long pink fish found in the deep waters off the coasts of Australia and New Zealand. They proved so popular that the group decided to hold a worldwide online vote for a global mascot, in partnership with the National Science + Engineering Competition for 11- to 18-year-olds in the U.K. The society has been holding comedy shows at science festivals and similar events around the U.K., where it has garnered a number of regional mascots, including the gob-faced squid (Edinburgh) and the naked mole rat (Brighton). Angler Fish If you thought that monkfish was beaten with an ugly stick, check out its deep sea cousin. "Conservation is such a depressing subject," he added. Dont fear the Blobfish, he just wants to be loved 4. Depressing subjectįitzmaurice said the Ugly Animal Preservation Society was founded about a year ago by its president Simon Watt to raise the profiles of animals that need to be conserved, but might not be getting the attention they deserve due to their aesthetic challenges. Blobfish: The Worlds Ugliest Animal Biology for Kids SciShow Kids SciShow Kids 918K subscribers Subscribe 8.3K Share 4. It adds that although blobfish are inedible to humans, they are threatened by fishing trawlers that accidentally catch them while fishing for tastier species. People don’t want to put them on t-shirts and in commercials."Īccording to the society, the blobfish spends its life "gently bobbing around" the ocean at depths of 600 to 1200 metres, dining on crabs and lobsters, and its gelatinous look is a result of adaptations that help it maintain its buoyancy. The problem is a lot of them are quite ugly. "Loads of other animals are just as important. ![]() "We love the panda, but we think it gets far too much attention," said Jon Fitzmaurice, who volunteers as the project manager for the Ugly Animal Preservation Society and also works for the British Science Association. The unsightly fish beat out a giant parrot called the kakapo, a Mexican amphibian called the axolotl, the wrinkly Titicaca water frog, the proboscis monkey and seven other candidates in a two-week online vote, the society announced Thursday at the British Science Festival in Newcastle, England. Move over, giant panda - the blobfish, a squat, pink, gelatinous deep sea creature, is the new face of endangered species after being voted the global mascot of a conservation group called the Ugly Animal Preservation Society.
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