- Status: Threatened
- Southern Australian sea floor, between 2,000 and 4,000 feet deep
Numbers
- Weight
- 20 lbup to 20 lb
- Length
- 12 intypically shorter than 12 in
- Depth
- 4000 ftlives between 2,000 and 4,000 feet
- Pressure endured
- 120 times surface pressurefrom 60 to 120 times depending on depth
- Size
- 12 inmuch smaller than its fame suggests
Ten fun facts
its deformed appearance in famous pictures comes from decompression damage, not from the natural shape of its living body.
it was voted the world's ugliest animal and became the official mascot of the Ugly Animal Preservation Society.
its flesh weighs slightly less than seawater, allowing it to float just above the ocean floor without swimming.
at the extreme ocean depths where it lives, the surrounding water pressure can reach one hundred twenty times surface pressure.
a gas swim bladder is completely useless under high ocean pressure, so this deep sea species does without one entirely.
it never chases down its prey, but simply swallows crustaceans and edible fragments that float directly past its open mouth.
it lives exclusively in the southwestern Pacific Ocean off southern Australia, between two thousand and four thousand feet deep.
it was first described in 1926, but its deep habitat is so hard to reach that it was rarely photographed alive.
the name blobfish was inspired by the soft gel consistency of its entire body rather than its unusual face.
deep sea bottom trawling is the main reason this species is considered threatened by scientists and conservation groups today.
The quiz answers
Five questions about this animal. Pick an answer and find out if it is the right one.
Question 1 of 5
Why does it look deformed in famous photographs?
Question 2 of 5
How does it stay afloat without a swim bladder?
Question 3 of 5
At what depth does it live?
Question 4 of 5
How long is it usually?
Question 5 of 5
What is the main threat to this species?
Try it yourself
Fill a glass with water and drop in a small piece of gelatin. If it weighs slightly less than water, it floats effortlessly, just like this ocean fish.
Look for two photographs of the blobfish, one pulled to the surface and one taken underwater, then write down three big differences you notice.
Mark twelve inches on a ruler to see the maximum length of this deep sea animal. Many people mistakenly imagine it to be much larger.
Data from Wikidata (Q82288) and Wikipedia (Psychrolutes marcidus).