Native to the
coasts of Australia and Tasmania, the blobfish is perhaps one of the strangest
creatures found on Earth. Since they are often found at depths between
2,000-3,900 feet, they have a special gelatinous flesh that is slightly less
dense than water, which allows them to survive at such high pressures [1]. Due
to this special adaptation, blobfish will tend to float among the ocean floor
and have relatively little muscle mass. Blobfish will grow to only about a foot
long and will eat small crustaceans that float by them on the ocean floor [2]. In
2013, the blobfish was voted the “World’s Ugliest Animal” and adopted into the
Ugly Animal Preservation Society as a means of raising awareness and
conservation for the less aesthetically pleasing creatures of the world [1]. Currently,
the greatest threat to blobfish is humans, with deep-sea fishing and bottom
trawling practices becoming more pervasive in their natural habitat. With
increased awareness of this rarely seen creature, hopefully mankind can
preserve this species, even if they aren’t as cute as the Tasmanian devil.
Jessica Tam
Wow, they are almost cute because of how ugly they are. Looks like a cartoon character. Also, deep sea fish/the muscle adaptation sounds like it has some fun physics to explore.
ReplyDeleteI wonder exactly how someone decides to start an Ugly Animal Preservation Society...
Brittany Hallawell
I've never seen anything like this! Do you know how many of these we can find in Tasmania?
ReplyDeleteWhat purpose do you think they serve/where do you think they are in the food web? They seem so odd!
ReplyDeleteThey're pretty cute under the water though... https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/gory-details/worlds-ugliest-animal-contest-took-blobfish-out-water
ReplyDelete