World's Ugliest Animal?

  • Author(s)
    Mark McGrouther
  • Category
    Science
  • Published
    13 September 2013
  • Read time
    2 minutes

During the week Mr Blobby was voted the 'world's ugliest animal'. I would like to set the record straight!

A Fathead (genus Psychrolutes)
Fathead (genus Psychrolutes) trawled during the NORFANZ expedition at a depth between 1013 m and 1340 m, on the Norfolk Ridge, north-west of New Zealand, June 2003 (AMS I.42771-001). . The scientists and crew on board the RV Tangaroa affectionately called this fish 'Mr Blobby'. Note the parasitic copepod on Mr Blobby's mouth. Image: Kerryn Parkinson
© NORFANZ Founding Parties

World's Ugliest Aminal:

According to the Ugly Animal Preservation Society our beloved 'Mr Blobby' was voted the world's ugliest animal.

Here are the facts - Mr Blobby was caught during the NORFANZ expedition in 2003 and photographed by Kerryn Parkinson while at sea on board the research vessel Tangaroa. Mr Blobby now resides in the Australian Museum Ichthyology Collection.

The image has been used hundreds of thousands of times on the Web. Its copyright is owned by NORFANZ Founding Parties. I feel I have some claim to the photo's existence ... I was horribly seasick during the first leg of the expedition, which ended at Lord Howe Island. I 'abandoned ship' and Kerryn flew in to take my place. The rest is history.

And for what it's worth, I don't think My Blobby is ugly and neither did the Mr Blobby fans who wrote him letters while he was on display at the Australian Museum.