Blobfish: 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.
Blobfish: Body Features
What makes the 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.
Blobfish: 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, the Blobfish 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.