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Yep, just a big ol' blob



In 2013, the blobfish was voted the World’s Ugliest Animal by the Ugly Animal Preservation Society. OK, that sounds like an honor, sort of. But, despite its scowl-y face, the blobfish is a pretty harmless creature. This deep-water, bottom-dwelling species endemic to the waters of the South Pacific is made of a gelatinous material less dense than water, which allows it to float about in the water despite reaching such a large and ungainly size. Due to the low density of its flesh, the innocuous blobfish floats leisurely near the ocean floor, quietly gobbling down small crustaceans and other edible matter that floats into its mouth. With very little muscle, actively hunting prey is nearly impossible. The little creature grows to be approximately a foot long. Because they live at such depths, there is very little information about the population of blobfish. Some experts fear that the fish could be facing extinction. It is commonly the victim of bycatch from seafloor trawlers.



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