Do not judge a blob by its coverage.
Once nicknamed the ugliest animal in the world for its gentle and lumpy appearance, the Blobfish made an astonishing return: it was crowned this week as a fish of the year by a New Zealand environmental group.
The annual competition, organized by the Mountain to Sea Conservation Trust, aims to raise awareness of the life of freshwater and navy of New Zealand.
This year, the Blobfish won the coveted distinction with nearly 1,300 out of more than 5,500 votes expressed.
It is a victory of the Outsider for the Blobfish, which burst into traditional notoriety as a mascot of the vilaine animal preservation company in 2013.
Gelatinier fish lives on the sea bed and reaches a length of about 12 inches (30 cm). They are mainly off the coast of Australia and Tasmania, where they live at depths of 2,000 to 4,000 feet (600-1 200 m).
Although the Blob fish is known for its distressing silhouette, in its natural habitat on the high seas, it actually looks like an ordinary fish, with its shape maintained together by the high pressure of the water.
However, when captured and quickly brought to the surface of the water, his body deforms in its pasty shape.
Second place was Orange Roughy, a fish on the high seas in the Slimehead family – known for mucous channels on the head.
It was “a battle of forgetting the depths,” said Kim Jones, co -director of the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust. “A battle of two eccentric creatures in the deep sea, with the unconventional beauty of the Blobfish helping to pass the voters above the line.”
Orange Roughy had appeared on the right track for victory, until a few hosts from the local radio station launch a passionate campaign for the Blobfish.
“There is an upcoming fish, it needs your vote,” said Sarah Gandy and Paul Flynn, premises from Radio Network More FM, urged listeners in their program last week. “We need Blob fish to win.”
The news of the Blobfish victory was celebrated by radio hosts.
“The Blob fish was patiently seated on the bottom of the ocean, the mouth open while waiting for the next mollusk to eat,” said the couple. “He was the victim of intimidation of his whole life and we thought:” Rador that, it is time for the Blob fish to spend his moment in the sun “, and what a glorious moment it is!”
In addition to molluscs, the blobfish also eats custaceans such as crabs and lobsters, as well as sea urchins.
Instead of a skeleton and a ladder, the blob fish has a soft body and flaccid skin.
According to the SEA Conservation Trust, nine of the ten nominated for fish of the year are considered by the conservation groups. This includes Blob fish, which is vulnerable to trawling on the high seas.
New Zealand also has a bird competition of the year, organized by the Forest & Bird Conservation Organization. The last winner, crowned last September, was the Hoiho, a kind of rare penguin.
