The ugly blobfish.

Did you know that more people have been to space than to the deep sea? The deep sea is the lowest level of the ocean and some parts are about 7 miles below the ocean’s surface. It has been largely unexplored because of its harsh environment. There is little oxygen, light, and nutrients, and the water temperature is slightly above freezing. The animals came up with creative adaptations in order to survive in these environments. For example, they can not have air pockets or they would be crushed because of the underwater pressure, some have large eyes to help see in the dark, and some even have no eyes at all so they rely on their other senses.

I’ve picked my top three choices for the ugliest deep sea creatures, and in third place is the Blobfish. In my opinion, the Blobfish looks like a mad, old lady. The Blobfish has a big head and it’s about 1 foot long, pinkish in color, and has eyes that bulge out of its head. It lives near New Zealand, Tasmania, and Australia at depths of about 3900 feet under the sea. An interesting fact about the Blobfish is that out of the water it looks like a blob because it has no muscles or skeleton, but at home, in the deep sea, it looks like a normal fish.

Abyssal sea cucumber.

My pick for second place is the abyssal sea cucumber, also known as the sea pig. It has no face, no eyes, and it eats mud. They live at the bottom of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. It lives more than 3000 feet under the sea in the Abyssal zone. The abyssal sea cucumber is so ugly that a predator wouldn’t want to eat it. 

Dumbo octopus.

My pick for the number 1 ugliest deep sea creature is the dumbo octopus, because it’s so ugly it’s cute. One of its interesting features are the big eyes it has, however it can barely see. The dumbo octopus lives between 9800 and 2300 feet deep in the Pacific Ocean. The dumbo octopus gets its name from its big ears. Strangely these ears aren’t actually ears at all, they are fins. These fins allow it to save energy and change direction while swimming in the deep ocean.

The Blobfish, abyssal sea cucumber and the dumbo octopus are my top 3 picks for the ugliest sea creature. There are many other ugly deep sea animals out there so you could even come up with your own top 3. Just remember, the things that make these animals ugly are also what makes them amazing because these features help these animals survive in the deep, dark, and harsh ocean environment.

For more information check out these references:

The Deep Sea: http://marinebio.org/oceans/deep

Life in the Deep: http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3748096

Weird Animals: http://www.allanimalsfacts.com/weird-animals-2/

Deep Sea Creatures: http://ipfactly.com/category/amazing-animals/deep-sea-creatures-amazing-animals/