What is Blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus)?

If someone is asked what animal you wish to keep as a pet, most of you would reply to cat, dog, rabbit, koala bears, etc. Nobody takes the name of poor Blobfish. It is said to be one of the ugliest animals, and it appears to be aesthetically challenged. It was declared the “World’s Ugliest Animal” by the Ugly Animal Preservation Society in 2013.

It is also called Mr Blobby, and it first arrived in the scientific literature over 150 years ago, but its images went viral in 2003. While doing research, the crew netted Blobfish at a depth of around 3323-4396 ft. They were discovered somewhere in mid-New Caledonia and New Zealand.

This weird and ugly animal is known scientifically known as Psychrolutes marcidus. It has a floppy and sad face, plus its body appears as it has suffered from decompression. They are found on the shores of Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania.

This strange-looking fish in the underwater areas where the pressure is around 60-120 times more than at sea level. There is very little light in such depths, and the crushing force is also minimal because they have soft bones, fewer muscles, and appear like jelly.

An interesting fact about the Blobfish is that it appears entirely different when they are below the water. When it’s at home, it looks like a regular fish, but when it is in the net or at the surface, then because of less pressure, decompression makes it look very distinct. (See What is a Raptor?)

Scientists know very little about these fishes as they stay deep inside the water. But as per the study, they eat tiny crustaceans, such as shellfish, crabs and sea urchins. They engulf their prey into their mouth as it swims along. They do not have bones and teeth, so they do not actively hunt. As they have very little muscle mass because of which they do not move. In fact, they also try and preserve energy.

They do not have a swim bladder, which is found in most fish species. It is said that if they had these gas-filled sores, they would implode. They do not have muscles or a full skeleton, and their stomach is positioned inside their body. Also, they do not have scales; instead, they have flabby skin.

These species are really threatened as only 420 of them are left in the world. They are not edible as their flesh is very acidic and has a gelatinous body. But, it is said that fishers are their biggest predators because they are on the verge of getting extinct.

They are caught in trawling nets, and it is said that they die as soon as they come in the exposure to water. As they have no teeth, they pose no menace to humans. (See What Is A Pangolin?)