'World's ugliest animal' wins New Zealand's 'fish of the year'
What's the story
The blobfish, once dubbed the "world's ugliest animal," has been named Fish of the Year by a New Zealand environmental organization.
The Mountain to Sea Conservation Trust, which holds the annual contest to raise awareness about New Zealand's aquatic life, received nearly 1,300 votes out of over 5,500 cast for the blobfish.
The gelatinous fish is found mostly off Australia's coast at 600-1,200m depth.
Morphology
Blobfish's unique adaptation to deep-sea environment
In its deep-sea environment, blobfish looks like a normal fish because of the high water pressure that keeps it intact. But once it is pulled up from the sea, it takes a mushy form.
This change has played a major role in making it one of the ugliest animals on the planet.
The blobfish doesn't have scales or a typical skeleton; instead, it has a soft body and flabby skin.
Competition
Blobfish's victory over Orange Roughy in competition
The blobfish had won the title against the orange roughy, a deep-sea fish known for the mucous canals on their heads.
Kim Jones, co-director of the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, called it "a battle of two quirky deep-sea critters."
But it was the blobfish's unconventional beauty that ultimately swayed voters.
Local radio hosts Sarah Gandy and Paul Flynn passionately campaigned for it on their show last week.
Diet
Blobfish's diet and conservation status
The blobfish "has been bullied his whole life and we thought, 'stuff this, it's time for the blobfish to have his moment in the sun,' and what a glorious moment it is!" they said.
The blobfish feeds on mollusks, crustaceans (crabs and lobsters), and sea urchins.
Blobfish is classified as vulnerable by conservation groups, who cite the threat of deep-sea trawling.
In fact, nine of the 10 nominees for Fish of the Year are also considered vulnerable by conservation organizations.