Have you heard about the blobfish? It is the infamous fish who earned the title of ‘World’s ugliest animal’ in 2013.
Anyone who sees this photo would probably exclaim “what an ugly fish!”. It’s almost just a sad, melted pile of goo, hardly taking the shape of a fish at all. But for our friend here, having journeyed from its habitat 600 - 1200 meters below sea level, would definitely find this an unfair comment. So let's dive deep and explore the life of a blobfish.
Being a deep sea creature, the blobfish has many adaptations that are quite different to organisms we are used to seeing. Many bony fish have a swim bladder - a sac which they fill with air or remove air from to adjust how much they float. However, the blobfish does not have one. Living on the seafloor means that the blobfish do not need to maintain their buoyancy, they can simply glide along the bottom. Also, having too much air in their bodies would be a terrible idea, the blobfish would have imploded in the immense water pressure. Therefore, our smart friend got rid of their swim bladder and evolved a very different physique to cope with their habitat.
The blobfish is a fluid filled fish, with a flabby skin and no scales. Under its skin is a thick layer of jelly-like tissue, some splotches of fat, and some muscles. With this body build, the blobfish is almost like a water balloon, it can hardly maintain its own shape! The water pressure is all that keeps the fish together, which explains why it becomes a slimy mess when it’s brought to sea level. Deep under sea, it looks just like a normal fish.
Hunting practices of the blobfish are also quite extraordinary to see. While other predators are running around, the blobfish sits still and waits for its food to come by. Therefore, they cannot have a picky diet. They eat a variety of food, including other fish, crustaceans, brittle stars, hermit crabs and sea anemone. The blobfish has weak and fragile bones, and mostly white muscle. Unlike red muscles, white muscle isn’t the type of muscle to support long distance swimming, just barely enough for the blobfish to lunge at nearby prey. Rather than wasting energy on building strong bones and buffed muscles, the blobfish focuses on strengthening its jaw. Their jaws are absolutely enormous and incredibly strong, which explains why they can snap at any prey that comes by, including those with hard shells. A deep sea fish biologist who dissected blobfishes once found an octopus beak in its stomach - this means that the blobfish is powerful enough to win a fight against one of the fiercest predators underwater.
Overall, the blobfish is an incredible creature with much more features that we can explore. Looking back at its not so glorious title, the blobfish should deserve a rematch, but this time in its own habitat. It might not be the prettiest or the brightest fish, but it certainly is one of nature’s masterpieces that we can appreciate.
Bibliography
Comments