Excerpt
Introduction: What’s a Blobfish, Anyway?
Way down beneath the ocean’s surface—far deeper than most fish ever swim—lives one of the strangest creatures on Earth. It doesn’t have sharp teeth. It doesn’t glow in the dark. It doesn’t even swim around much. And yet, it has become famous around the world. People take one look at its droopy face, big nose, and jiggly body and say: “That’s the ugliest animal I’ve ever seen!”
Meet the blobfish.
It’s a name that sounds kind of silly, like someone made it up as a joke. But blobfish are real animals, and they’re not just some internet prank. They don’t live in your neighborhood fish tank or hang out at the beach. They live in the deep sea—so deep that light can’t reach them and the pressure would crush a regular human like a tin can.
Even though it’s called the world’s ugliest animal, that’s only because most people have only seen photos of a blobfish taken after it was brought to the surface. When it’s in its natural home deep in the ocean, it looks pretty different—and it’s perfectly designed for that environment. It’s kind of like judging a popsicle after it’s melted in the sun. Once it’s out of its element, it just doesn’t look right anymore.
But what makes something “ugly” in the first place? Is it the way it looks? Or is it just that it looks different from what we’re used to? Most animals we see in books or at zoos have bodies we understand—furry mammals, colorful birds, smooth-skinned reptiles. Blobfish don’t fit into any of those neat little categories. That’s part of what makes them interesting.
They don’t have bones like we do. Their bodies are soft and squishy, like jelly. That sounds weird, but it’s actually really smart. At the bottom of the ocean, there’s so much pressure that a fish with a hard skeleton would have a hard time staying in one piece. Blobfish don’t need strong muscles or bones, because they don’t move around much. They just float near the ocean floor, barely using energy, waiting for food to drift by.
That sounds kind of lazy, but it’s actually a smart way to live where resources are limited. The deep sea is cold, dark, and quiet. There’s not a lot of food down there, and swimming burns energy. Blobfish survive by being still, patient, and perfectly adapted to their surroundings.
Some people laugh at blobfish because of how they look when they’re brought up to the surface. But that’s not really fair. It would be like laughing at an astronaut in space because they float funny. They’re just doing what they need to do to live where they are.
The truth is, the blobfish is a good reminder that there are lots of animals on Earth that don’t follow the rules we expect. Not every creature is cute or cuddly. Not every fish looks like a goldfish. Some animals are made to survive in places we can barely understand.
And even if it’s not winning any beauty contests, the blobfish has helped us think about what kinds of animals we protect and care about. In fact, it was voted the mascot of the Ugly Animal Preservation Society—a group that helps protect animals that aren’t exactly poster-worthy. That means being a little weird-looking actually helped the blobfish become a symbol for conservation.
It’s easy to care about animals that are cute, like pandas or penguins. It’s a little harder to care about something with droopy skin and a frown. But every creature matters, even the ones that don’t look like something you’d want to hug.
Way down beneath the ocean’s surface—far deeper than most fish ever swim—lives one of the strangest creatures on Earth. It doesn’t have sharp teeth. It doesn’t glow in the dark. It doesn’t even swim around much. And yet, it has become famous around the world. People take one look at its droopy face, big nose, and jiggly body and say: “That’s the ugliest animal I’ve ever seen!”
Meet the blobfish.
It’s a name that sounds kind of silly, like someone made it up as a joke. But blobfish are real animals, and they’re not just some internet prank. They don’t live in your neighborhood fish tank or hang out at the beach. They live in the deep sea—so deep that light can’t reach them and the pressure would crush a regular human like a tin can.
Even though it’s called the world’s ugliest animal, that’s only because most people have only seen photos of a blobfish taken after it was brought to the surface. When it’s in its natural home deep in the ocean, it looks pretty different—and it’s perfectly designed for that environment. It’s kind of like judging a popsicle after it’s melted in the sun. Once it’s out of its element, it just doesn’t look right anymore.
But what makes something “ugly” in the first place? Is it the way it looks? Or is it just that it looks different from what we’re used to? Most animals we see in books or at zoos have bodies we understand—furry mammals, colorful birds, smooth-skinned reptiles. Blobfish don’t fit into any of those neat little categories. That’s part of what makes them interesting.
They don’t have bones like we do. Their bodies are soft and squishy, like jelly. That sounds weird, but it’s actually really smart. At the bottom of the ocean, there’s so much pressure that a fish with a hard skeleton would have a hard time staying in one piece. Blobfish don’t need strong muscles or bones, because they don’t move around much. They just float near the ocean floor, barely using energy, waiting for food to drift by.
That sounds kind of lazy, but it’s actually a smart way to live where resources are limited. The deep sea is cold, dark, and quiet. There’s not a lot of food down there, and swimming burns energy. Blobfish survive by being still, patient, and perfectly adapted to their surroundings.
Some people laugh at blobfish because of how they look when they’re brought up to the surface. But that’s not really fair. It would be like laughing at an astronaut in space because they float funny. They’re just doing what they need to do to live where they are.
The truth is, the blobfish is a good reminder that there are lots of animals on Earth that don’t follow the rules we expect. Not every creature is cute or cuddly. Not every fish looks like a goldfish. Some animals are made to survive in places we can barely understand.
And even if it’s not winning any beauty contests, the blobfish has helped us think about what kinds of animals we protect and care about. In fact, it was voted the mascot of the Ugly Animal Preservation Society—a group that helps protect animals that aren’t exactly poster-worthy. That means being a little weird-looking actually helped the blobfish become a symbol for conservation.
It’s easy to care about animals that are cute, like pandas or penguins. It’s a little harder to care about something with droopy skin and a frown. But every creature matters, even the ones that don’t look like something you’d want to hug.