Blobfish: Facts, Pictures & Information

A Deep Sea Endangered Creature

The Blobfish, or Psychrolutes Marcidus, is one of the strangest aquatic creatures found in Australian and Tasmanian waters. They are in the deep sea family of Psychrolutidae, which are considered extremely rare. They are near extinction however, are not easy to obtain and will die if the water pressure is too low. They live on the sea floor, which is eighty times denser than the water at sea level. Just getting down there is difficult for fishers. Track up “Blobfish” on Google, and you will find very few pictures and references while blob fish is at sea.

Body Features

What makes Blobfish so unique is the shape of its face. When looked straight on, it looks like a human face. A large flap of skin folds over the wide mouth is like a nose. The two eyes are visible as well. The head of a Blobfish weighs a surprising 1/3 of its total body weight. The rest of the body descends into a short tail.

Behavior, Food, Diet

The reason Blobfish survive at such a low sea level is due to the gelatinous like flesh it has, which is just a little lighter than water. They contain no muscle at all, so being able to swim without it is essential for it to survive. It helps it float and reduces the pressure on the Blobfish’ body. At the bottom of a sea, the Blobfish basically remains stationary throughout its life. They rarely move unless food is found nearby, otherwise they will wait for prey to come close. Studies show the Blobfish’ diet consists mainly of urchins, mollusks, crabs, lobsters, and other slow-moving ocean bottom feeders. When something edible comes by, it waits for it to come close. Even though Blobfish literally have to muscle, they are still able to open and close their mouth. It is currently unknown of how much they eat in an amount of time. A Blobfish barely moves at all when feeding. Where prey is scarce, some Blobfish will die simply of starvation.

Reproduction and Size

Females do not have a normal mating schedule, and often mate whenever a male crosses by. Surprisingly, a female will lay up to 1000 pink eggs at a time. She stays with them, floating above them the whole time as if protecting them. It was once thought that the Blobfish regularly “cleaned” the eggs to make sure they hatched, but the method was unknown. Blobfish grows to about a foot, but usually they are shorter at about ten inches. Unfortunately, they are inedible and die from fishermen who accidentally make a catch.They are now considered endangered species.

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Comments

Me on March 06, 2019:

Good

Josiphina on October 04, 2018:

thank you for teaching me more about blob fish in 7th grade we were supposed to research about sea creatures and this helps a lot thank you.(:

kenzie on January 13, 2018:

I love this site it provides more information than a lot of other sites! Thanks soo much! And I see all these comments about slippers and stuff but the blob fish is much more than that. Really. How come pandas get more attention then blob fish? All animals are equal! And that's an opinion no one can deny!

NAP on November 30, 2017:

I like the blobfish slippers

Elijah on September 20, 2017:

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I used info on presentation. thx!

Mr.Awsome on March 20, 2017:

its quite ugly if you ask me

Hot Lips on January 15, 2017:

When I look at the blobfish I find it quite cute and to me people who are slagging it off have they looked in a mirror recently? So save this cute little bundle of loveliness and tell the fishermen not to cast their nets so deeply into thewater.

bob on November 02, 2015:

they are really ugly but cool

Jessica on October 16, 2015:

The blowfish is a nice looking fish. Even though it looks malformed, it still looks perfect just the way it is. Be lucky for the way YOU look. Don't judge things by its looks, but by the inside. I am using this as a report and this site was very useful!

Joe bob anthony miller on October 13, 2015:

So cool!

Bob The BlobFish on May 20, 2015:

Forever Alone :(

waaaaaaaaaassssssssuuup on April 14, 2015:

Thanks helped me with a PowerPoint.

waaaaaaaaaaaa on November 18, 2014:

blob fish is ugly

jeff on November 12, 2014:

blob fish r perfectly perfect in every way

363561 on November 04, 2014:

you guys are mean they are cool and cute

hailey mann on October 20, 2014:

no publication date really?

Turd on September 30, 2014:

I am using this for my project t is so good

Rusty Barnes on August 16, 2014:

If I ever saw this thing out of water I would put it out of its miserable existence as quickly as I could. Not trying to b cruel but what a joke of nature!

Blob on May 13, 2014:

Wow so cool!

hi on April 09, 2014:

I love blobfish

Hi on March 26, 2014:

Spew

Lebron james on March 12, 2014:

Blob fish are fascinating creatures

antwar5 on February 12, 2014:

it looks like my friend

saruar22 on November 23, 2013:

Blobfishes are ugly

The Big D on November 16, 2013:

Its da only Blob 4 me

asasasasasffhhjjk on November 01, 2013:

they are cool

gee gee on October 24, 2013:

doo doo blob fish

Zendoria on October 18, 2013:

blob fish so nasty like i don't know wat.

SIRDELL on August 29, 2013:

LOOKS LIKE WC FIELDS

jeccica on June 24, 2013:

dis is cool

mike the trike on May 16, 2013:

Blobfish are fascinating creatures.

blobfish on May 08, 2013:

blobfish look like poo

Riley on April 25, 2013:

I love blob fish

madison on April 06, 2013:

I think Blobfish are contagasly adorabal and interesting

tanner on December 05, 2012:

blob fish are the coolest thing!!!

jimmy on October 12, 2012:

hello

chuck norris on May 17, 2012:

these ugly looking mothers are too ugly and are stinky too

ganster on March 22, 2012:

I think the Blobfish is so cute and he looks like Squidwerd off of Spongbob

lps lover on February 14, 2012:

this is good stuff.

peasly on December 25, 2011:

blob fish are scary-lookin and weird!

TheNerdyGardener from Brisbane, Australia on December 11, 2011:

There are strange things down in the deep blue sea, blobfish included. The first photo however almost has a touch of cuteness to it, I think it paints the blobfish in a very flattering light. I think I remember reading somewhere that someone tried to eat one that was caught as by-catch but the flesh was just too rubbery to actually eat.

Katie Charpentier on October 24, 2011:

i feel really bad for the blobfish i wish it could be better than it is now and they could have more than they have now.they maybe look bad and grose but they need help to have more and to be better what they are now.iIt is not good to loose on of our terrible animals it is really bad to see it is verry sad andbad to loose them.

vladimir on October 20, 2011:

whoaa

PADDYBOY60 from Centreville Michigan on October 09, 2011:

I have seen one in the mirror when I get up in the morning. Just kidding. I think. I really enjoyed reading this hub. I always like learning new things when it comes to nature.

nessa bug on April 05, 2011:

the blob fish can actually only survive upto 2 minutes without water. are there any ways to tell females from males PLease email at nessabug12345@yahoo.com

cdnjksnvjalabvs on March 30, 2011:

ha blobfish are so fat

Sabrina Yuquan Chen (author) from North Billerica, MA, USA on March 08, 2011:

Thank you Zavala for the visit. Glad I'm getting the traffic, at least :)

Augustine A Zavala from Texas on February 20, 2011:

Fascinating! Thank you for sharing.