The blob blog

This Psychrolutes microporos, also known as “Mr Blobby,” the blobfish, is the iconic ambassador for The Deep Sea and personifies everything we air-breathers seem to find weird about it. The image, one of the internet’s first viral memes, has been claimed by a myriad of organisations, usually without the actual photographer or expedition being acknowledged. Well, here is the truth, from one who was there. Curators Fishes Andrew Stewart and Thom Linley reel us in and fish up the story.

The year is 2003, the place is the Tasman Sea on the RV Tangaroa, and it’s the NORFANZ Expedition; a one-month voyage of discovery along the Norfolk and Lord Howe Rise to uncover the diversity of animal life in the Tasman Sea. On 3 June, just after 4:00pm, the Orange Roughy net was dispatched to a basin on the West Norfolk Ridge to fish 1013–1340 m depth. Amongst the usual suspects taken (oreo dories, rattails, and deep-water sharks) were three morose blobfish.

One specimen, in particular, had a parasitic copepod ‘dribbling’ out the corner of the mouth and struck Andrew as an opportunity too good to miss. Kerryn Parkinson from the Australian Museum was the photographer on his swing, so he discussed with her the need to get the iconic face-forward image. The rest, as they say, is history.

Why so sad?

So why is it so miserable and semi-melted in appearance? That is down to how the blobfish is adapted to its deep-sea home. Most of its body is a clear gel almost the same density as the water around it. This gel helps with buoyancy control in the ocean. One specimen filmed off New Zealand was swimming effortlessly off the bottom, sculling its enormous pectoral fins, appearing to row its way through the sea.

Their comedic melting in air isn’t because of the loss of pressure, although the cold and pressure at depth likely keeps the gel firmer, but because the support given by water has been removed. Gravity then takes over causing the gel-layer just under the skin to make its way down. Left sitting on a table the upper fish will start to appear almost skeletal whilst a broad gelatinous skin will spread out like a skirt around the body. The lips sag into a frown, a fold of skin flops forward forming a drooping nose, and an icon is born. A parallel might be firing us out of an airlock, putting us in five times gravity, and then taking a picture and calling us ugly.

Photographed in their proper environment, blobfish are more like tadpoles on steroids, sometimes with striking patterns and frills. One species from the north-west Pacific is quite beautiful; pale cream with a thin dark brown X crossing the head through the eyes and the body is strongly banded in chocolate brown and lemon yellow. Another species is a delicate pink with white spots. Take that “World’s ugliest animal” award.

The blobfish has generated multiple memes and merchandise: T-shirts emblazoned with “Go Home Evolution, You’re Drunk”, slippers, socks, key rings, coffee mugs, soft toys, and caps. A quick scan through the interweb also notes most of these items are sold out. In addition, were digital makeovers on comedy shows, album covers, and even a cameo on Men in Black 3. It’s the species that just keeps giving. There’s even a web site that claims that a blobfish is worth $USD100,000. We wish!

One of these things is not like the other

Despite their squishy appearance, blobfishes are actually part of a larger group dominated by the spiky, spiny, venomous scorpionfishes! Anything less like a scorpionfish relative is hard to imagine. They are united with the scorpionfishes by (amongst other characters) a bone under the eye called the suborbital stay. The traits are there, hidden under all that gel.

Being vertebrates they have the full suite of skeletal bones, they’re just rather thin and soft. If they’re gently squeezed, water squirts out the end of the fins. It must be understood that in no way are we advocating squeezing blobfish, or any other fish.

Both jaws are equipped with a broad band of small teeth similar in appearance to coarse sandpaper, more for gripping than chewing. The enormous mouths mean that anything that fits in will be eaten, even deep-water warty sea anemones. In the deep ocean, you have to take whatever you can get.

Early this year, the Bounty Trough Expedition caught another large morose blobfish, one with an ulcerated spot on the head where another parasite had lodged.

Exactly how many blobfish species we have here and what counts as good characters to separate them is an ongoing project. We also have what appears to be another undescribed species from very deep water (in 2200–2400 m) on the Chatham Rise that’s even more squishy, if that’s possible…