Blobfish, formerly known as the world’s ugliest animal, has been chosen as the fish of the year in New Zealand. According to a report in The Guardian, the Blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus) lives in high-pressure ocean depths off the coasts of New Zealand and Australia, possessing a unique anatomical structure to adapt to these harsh conditions.

Their bodies are less dense than the water, allowing them to hover above the seabed with a blob-like texture. This species lacks a skeleton, muscles, and scales, using this distinct structure instead of a swim bladder.

RESEMBLING A FAILED MEDICAL EXPERIMENT Mountain to Sea Conservation Trust’s Konrad Kurta mentions that blobfish can live up to 130 years and grow very slowly. Their lifestyle is quite peculiar; they remain almost motionless waiting for their prey to come close. Female blobfish lay up to 100,000 eggs in a single nest and protect them as well.

Blobfish gained fame ten years ago when its photo was taken by the crew of a research vessel in New Zealand. Its distinctive and intriguing appearance rapidly became popular in internet culture. Konrad Kurta notes that blobfish resembles a regular fish in deep-sea pressure, but once brought to the surface, it resembles a “failed medical experiment” due to the distortion caused by sudden pressure loss.

FISH OF THE YEAR COMPETITION The Fish of the Year competition was initiated in 2020 inspired by the Bird of the Year competition. This year saw the highest number of votes with a total of 5,583. Blobfish emerged victorious with 1,286 votes, surpassing the orange roughy by a margin of 300 votes.