Because actually, it’s not as bad as what we witnessed.
If you wonder what is the ugliest animal in the world, surely the votes for blobfish (or teardrop fish ) will be sky-high.
Blobfish’s scientific name is Psychrolutes marcidus
They have milky white or pink skin, but their bodies are always blistered, their faces are “bulging” and drooping, always looking sad.
Of course, because where can I get another fish as ugly as it? Her skin is pink and white, but her body is always blistered and flabby, her face is puffy and sticky like Ditto in Pokemon.
This fish was first found in the waters of New Zealand and Australia, at depths from 600 to 1,200m. These are also locations with pressure about 118 times higher than sea level.
This fish is also special in that it does not possess any muscle tissue. They live in places with little food, so blobfish have a somewhat… leisurely way of hunting.
Blobfish floats in the water, waiting for prey to pass by (usually crabs, sea urchins, shellfish…) and then opens its mouth to swallow the prey whole. According to scientists, this hunting method helps them save maximum energy.
It is known that the fish in the picture, named “Mr. Blobby”, was found off the coast of New Zealand in 2003. The photo was taken by photographer Kerryn Parkinson in the same year, and in 2013 it was entered into the competition . voted for the ugliest creature in the world organized by the Ugly Animal Preservation Society.
And as a result, blob fish won the award, becoming the standard symbol of evil since 2015.
But it turns out, we were all fooled
Because it is necessary to know that blobfish is a fish that lives in the deep sea. They exist in seas that sunlight cannot reach, with a depth of about 600 – 1,200m.
They will never venture into shallow waters unless humans deliberately pull them out.
At that depth, they will have to endure a huge amount of pressure, so their bodies must also evolve to adapt. Their bones will be softer and more elastic, and their meat will be soft and flexible so that they will not be crushed by pressure.
They also do not have a swim bladder to control buoyancy, as such a structure cannot survive under that level of pressure.
Such a long talk is to make you understand that a blobfish when brought to the surface will be very different from when it is still at the bottom of the sea. When the pressure is gone, its body will swell and become flabby like what we witnessed.
On the bottom of the sea, they look very normal like any other fish. Not bad at all, at least by human standards.
This is Blobfish in the deep sea.
Talking about Mr. Blobby, he has now passed away, but his body is still kept in a museum in Australia, in gratitude and also to honor the creature that considers the world’s standard of evil. Although, he’s not that bad.