Blobfish once deemed ‘world’s ugliest animal’ wins New Zealand ‘fish of the year’

Over a decade after being relegated to the “world’s ugliest animal,” the blobfish made a resounding comeback and earned the “fish of the year” title in New Zealand.

The decidedly unattractive creature dominated the competition in the contest run by Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, claiming the title with 1,286 votes after polls closed Sunday.

The blobfish, or Psychrolutes marcidus, looks just as its name suggests: like a small pile of purple goo with a face reminiscent of an exceedingly grumpy elder.

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Its appearance, while not the most visually appealing, is necessary. The fish’s one-of-a-kind anatomy grants it the ability to thrive in the depths of the ocean just off the coast of New Zealand and Australia.

Similarly to jellyfish, the blobfish has no full skeleton or scales. It also lacks muscles and a swim bladder, which other fish have to help maintain buoyancy. Without a swim bladder, other fish tend to lose control and sink or rise uncontrollably in the water.

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Instead, the blobfish’s sloppy tissue combined with its low density permit it to float above the seafloor unimpeded.

The rarely-seen fish blew up online after winning the not-so-coveted “world’s ugliest animal” award in 2013. The boneless fish remains popular in meme culture to this day, but the commonly featured picture of the marine animal isn’t what the fish looks like submerged in the water. Above the surface, the sudden decompression disfigures the fish, which gives it the molten shape the Internet knows it for.

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While the slimy sea creatures do thrive deep below the water’s surface, their population and habitat have grown vulnerable to deep-sea trawling, Konrad Kurta, a spokesperson for the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust said in a press release.

The blobfish won by under 300 votes with second place going to the orange roughy. Similarly to the blobfish, the runner-up orange roughy is also considered a vulnerable species.

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“In some ways, it was fitting blobfish and orange roughy were close at the end. They both live in deep sea environments close to New Zealand, and the blobfish is often incidentally caught during bottom trawling for orange roughy,” Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust Co-Director Kim Jones said.

“While the blobfish’s exact conservation status is unknown, orange roughy populations are struggling. Carefully managing orange roughy and its habitat will benefit the blobfish, too.”

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New Zealand dominates the orange roughy market, being responsible for about 80% of all catches.

All of the competitors were endangered or vulnerable species except for the blue cod, which came in last place with a meager 260 votes.