Fish-drop as the embodiment of world sorrow. Blobfish: The Saddest Fish on Earth

We have all seen fish more than once and we know perfectly well what they are. They are scaly, cold-blooded, water-dwelling animals that swim with their fins and tails and breathe with gills. But in the amazing beauty of the underwater oceanic world, there are original specimens that can hardly be called fish, but nevertheless, they are.

One of these types is drop fish living in the deep waters of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. In Latin it is called Psychrolutes marcidus, and in English it has a funny name blobfish.

This truly strange creature has no external signs by which it could be attributed to the class of fish. She completely lacks scales, and there is some kind of, weakly expressed, resemblance to fins. The body of a drop fish does not exceed 70 cm and is an incomprehensible gelatinous mass (up to 9.5 kg) with large sad eyes, a mouth and a human nose.

The blob fish lives so deep underwater where other living things cannot live. But due to the density of her body, somewhat less dense than the thickness of the water, she feels great there. The same gelatinous gel is produced by the air bubble that the fish has, of which it is all composed. Without it, it would be difficult for her to withstand the water column and swim. Yes, and swimming her awkward movements that she makes is difficult to call, because she lacks any muscles.

The drop fish feeds on plankton, which is saturated in its habitats. She slowly opens her mouth and the food swims in on its own. People have almost no chance to admire this sad creation of nature with their own eyes because of its deep-sea habitat. However, sometimes strong waves throw a drop fish ashore, and in some East Asian countries it is considered a delicacy. The difficulty in obtaining information does not allow much to be said about this amazing fish.

But more recently, scientists have established one interesting fact. It was possible to find out that drop fish are the most caring parents of all existing fish species. They surround their fry with touching care, hiding them in the most secluded corners of the underwater kingdom and never leave them alone until they grow up. Despite such a strange appearance, scientists were able to attribute the drop fish to the class of bony fish, the ray-finned order and the scorpion-like suborder.

Drop fish is one of the most amazing creatures that have ever appeared on our planet. This creature that lives in the depths of the ocean has an unusual, strange, grotesque and even "unearthly" appearance. It is difficult to call this animal beautiful, but there is something in it that cannot leave anyone who has ever seen it indifferent.

Description of fish drops

Drop fish - an inhabitant of the deep sea, which leads a bottom lifestyle. Belongs to the psychrolute family and is considered one of the most incredible creatures that live on Earth. Her appearance seems so repulsive to people that many of them consider the drop to be the most disgusting of the creatures living in the ocean.

Appearance

With the shape of its body, this animal really resembles a drop, and its “fluid”, gelatinous structure also corresponds to this name. If you look at it from the side or from behind, it may seem that this is an ordinary, unremarkable fish of a dull, most often brownish, and sometimes dull pink color. She has a short body, tapering towards the end, and her tail is equipped with small outgrowths, vaguely similar to spikes.

But everything changes if you look at the drop in the “face”: at the sight of her flabby, dissatisfied and sad physiognomy, which makes this creature look like an elderly, grouchy gentleman, whom someone also offended, you involuntarily wonder what other surprises nature can give people, creating animals with such a truly unique and unforgettable appearance.

It is interesting! The drop does not have a swim bladder, because it would simply burst at the depth where it lives. The water pressure there is so great that the drops have to do without this “attribute”, which is common for members of their class.

Like most other deep-sea fish, the drop has a large, massive head, a huge mouth with thick, fleshy lips, which goes into a short body, small dark, deep-set eyes and a “branded” growth on the physiognomy, resembling a large, slightly flattened human nose . Because of this external feature, she was nicknamed the sad fish.

A drop fish rarely grows more than fifty centimeters in length, and its weight does not exceed 10-12 kilograms, which is very small by the standards of its habitat: after all, in the depths of the sea there are monsters reaching several meters in length. Its color, as a rule, is brownish or, less often, pinkish. But, in any case, the color is always dull, which helps the drop to disguise itself as the color of bottom sediments and, in the end, noticeably facilitates its existence.

The body of this fish is devoid of not only scales, but also muscles, which is why the density of a drop is similar to a frozen and gelled jelly lying on a plate. The gelatinous substance is produced by a special air bladder, which these animals are equipped with. The lack of scales and muscular system are advantages, not disadvantages of drop fish. Thanks to these features, she does not need to expend effort when moving at great depths. Yes, and it’s easier to eat this way: just open your mouth and wait until something edible swims in there.

Behavior and lifestyle

The blob is an incredibly mysterious and secretive creature. This creature lives at such depths where no scuba diver can go down, and therefore little is known about the lifestyle of this fish. The drop was first described in 1926, when it was first caught in a net by Australian fishermen. But, despite the fact that it will soon be a hundred years since its discovery, it has been studied very little.

It is interesting! At present, it has been reliably established that a drop tends to slowly float downstream in the water column, and is kept afloat due to the fact that the density of its jelly-like body is much lower than the density of water. From time to time, this fish hangs in place and, opening its huge mouth, waits for prey to swim into it.

In all likelihood, adult fish of this species lead a solitary lifestyle, while they gather in pairs only in order to continue their genus. In addition, a drop fish is a real homebody. She rarely leaves the territory she has chosen and even less often rises higher than to a depth of 600 meters, of course, with the exception of those cases when she falls into fishing nets and is pulled to the surface. Then she has to unwillingly leave her native depths in order to never return there.

Due to its "alien" appearance, the blob fish has become popular in the media and even starred in several science fiction films such as "Men in Black 3" and "The X-Files".

How many drop fish live

These amazing creatures live from five to fourteen years, and their lifespan depends more on luck than on living conditions that cannot be called easy anyway. Many of these fish die prematurely due to the fact that they themselves accidentally swim in fishing nets or were hunted along with commercial deep-sea fish, as well as crabs and lobsters. On average, the life of drops is 8-9 years.

Range, habitats

Drop fish lives in the depths of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and most often it can be found off the coast of Australia or Tasmania. She prefers to stay at depths from 600 to 1200, and sometimes more than meters. Where she lives, the water pressure is eighty or more times the pressure near the surface.

Drop fish diet

Basically, the drop feeds on plankton and the smallest invertebrates.. But if someone bigger than microscopic crustaceans swims into her mouth, opened in anticipation of prey, then the drop will not refuse lunch either. In general, she is able to swallow everything edible that could, even theoretically, fit in her huge voracious mouth.

Reproduction and offspring

Many aspects of the reproduction of this species are not known for certain. How does a drop fish look for a partner? Do these fish have a mating ritual, and if so, what is it? How does the mating process itself take place and how do the fish prepare for spawning after it? These questions have not yet been answered.

It is interesting! But, nevertheless, something about the reproduction of drop fish, nevertheless, became known thanks to the research of scientists.

The female drop fish lays her eggs in bottom sediments, which lie at the same depths where she herself lives. And after the eggs are laid, it “lays down” on them and literally hatches them, just like a chicken sitting on eggs, and at the same time, apparently, protects them from possible dangers. The female drop fish is on the nest until the moment when the fry come out of the eggs.
But even after that, the mother takes care of her offspring for a long time.

It helps the fry to master the new, such a huge and not always safe world of the ocean, and at first the whole family stays away from prying eyes and possible predators, leaving for the quietest and calmest areas of deep water. Maternal care in fish of this species continues until the grown offspring become completely independent. After that, the grown-up drop fish spread in different directions in order, apparently, to never meet with any of their closest relatives again.

An unpleasant appearance, sea fish that lives at depths from 600 to 1.2 kilometers, belongs to the family of psychrolutes and is one of the most amazing and unusual deep-sea fish on Earth - this is a drop fish.

It is often found along the coasts of Tasmania and Australia.

The most unusual deep sea fish drop

Often, photographs of this scary creature are taken by fishermen who catch fish and accidentally pull a drop to the surface. At the moment there is a threat of extinction for this species. In Latin, the blob fish is Psychrolutes marcidus.

Photos of fish drops from the Internet

External features of drop fish

A drop fish has a certain process on the front of its head, which looks like a human nose. On the sides of the nose are two eyes. In length, these fish did not meet more than 30 centimeters. It is sometimes said that this creature has a dull look on its "face". This is due to the fact that the diameter of the eyes is smaller than the interorbital space.

It is known that the swim bladder does not work at great depths, so the drop does not have it. After all, the pressure at depth is much higher than at the surface. At sea level, it is 90 times less than the pressure at a depth of 900 meters. Any gas, including oxygen, will be so compressed at such a level that the swim bladder will not be able to cope with its functions.

The density of a drop is slightly less than the density of water. The body appears to be a kind of gelatinous mass. The low density allows the fish to easily overcome short distances in the water, while not expending energy. The muscles are not developed, so she makes movements slowly. While swimming, it opens its mouth to swallow the small invertebrates it feeds on.

The blobfish lays eggs. At this moment, her peculiarity manifests itself - she guards her nest until the fry begin to hatch from the eggs. But even after that, she continues to actively take care of the offspring.

"Sad Fish"

Because of the "facial expression" this one is often referred to as the saddest fish of all. The front of the head and its structure leave the feeling that the drop fish is constantly sad and frowning. Polls conducted on the Internet have shown that it occupies an honorable first place in the ranking of the strangest creatures on Earth.

Her unusual appearance made her the main character of popular comics and Internet memes. Although the meat is not edible, some exotic restaurants offer their visitors to taste such an unusual sea creature.

Drop fish videos

1. She won the ugliest creature on the planet

2. Mentioned in the news

Drop fish belongs to the family of psychrolutes. It is also called the Australian goby or psychrolute. This is an inhabitant of the deep sea with an unusual appearance, which made the fish popular all over the world. Someone considers it an alien creature, someone just the ugliest fish. In any case, it is impossible to remain indifferent to the drop fish.

Discovery history

Drop fish has a fairly large size and weight

The blobfish was first caught near the island of Tasmania by Australian anglers in 1926. The caught specimen aroused great interest in them, so the find was handed over to scientists. After that, the creature was classified and forgotten for a while. This is due to the fact that it lives at a considerable depth (more than 500 m), that is, it was impossible to study the marine life in natural conditions until the second half of the 20th century, when deep-sea vessels appeared.

Prior to this, a strange monster was found on the shores of Indonesia and Australia. But these were dead, half-decomposed specimens, so official science did not react to them in any way. Everything has changed thanks to technological progress and mechanical fishing trawlers capable of hauling nets at great depths. It was thanks to them that the first living individual was caught.

What does a drop fish look like

Fish drop has several shades, the most common of them is light pink

The shape of the fish resembles a drop, hence the name. According to various sources, its length ranges from 30 to 80 cm. The average weight is about 8–12 kg. The color depends on the habitat and varies from light pink to dark brown. In front of her there is a formation similar to a nose, on the sides of which two eyes are located closer to the crown. The mouth is wide, has the shape of an arc bent down. Therefore, it seems as if the creature is in a bad mood or is upset about something. The lips are thick and fleshy. The head is huge compared to the rest of the body. The proportions are approximately the same as those of the domestic rotan.

The surface of the body is covered with mucus and resembles a frozen jelly or jelly. Scales are completely absent. However, there are various growths on the body, the functions of which are unknown, perhaps they help in disguise. There are also fins - two on the sides and one tail, although they are poorly developed.

In general, her appearance, to put it mildly, disgusting. However, this is what made this species popular. Drop fish consistently enters various tops of the most vile or ugly creatures on our planet. With the development of the Internet, she became the hero of all sorts of memes because of the unusual sad expression of the "face". In any case, the appearance is extraordinary and memorable.

Lifestyle and nutrition

The water column makes this fish more intimidating.

The drop fish is endemic and lives only off the coast of Australia at a depth of 500 m to 1500 m. The density of fish is slightly less than the density of water. Thanks to this, the sea monster can swim without a swim bladder, which is present in almost all other fish. At great depths, the pressure is so strong that the gas begins to liquefy, that is, it loses its properties.

She moves very slowly. This is due to underdeveloped musculature, which does not allow the fins to create the necessary momentum for jerking in order to swim. However, the low density of the body, compared to water, and underwater currents move the monster in the lower layers right at the bottom. Fins only help to correct the direction of movement. It turns out that she, as it were, plans in the water, without spending any energy on it.

For food, the drop fish simply opens its wide mouth and swallows everything that comes in its way. It can be mollusks, various invertebrates, plankton or fry of other fish. After saturation, she closes her mouth and swims on or lies in a dark corner until she gets hungry again.

Reproduction and how long it lives

Drop fry have a beige color, which helps protect against possible predators.

It reproduces in the usual way. The male releases milk into the water, fertilizing the female. After maturation of eggs, the female lays it in the ground. Surprisingly, she does not leave this place, but waits for fry to appear from the eggs. Then the "mother" takes care of them and protects them for a long time.

Adults have no natural enemies other than humans, of course. At such a great depth, there are simply no potential predators that can harm this sea monster. Only fry can become a victim of other inhabitants of the seabed or even their adult counterparts, who inadvertently swallow them.

The fish is little studied, and there is no specific information about the time of mating and how this process generally occurs. According to information from various sources, they live for about 10-15 years.

At the same time, drop fish become a sexually mature individual capable of reproduction at the age of 5–7 years. This has a serious impact on the size of the population, which, by the way, has been declining in recent years due to human activity. It is already listed as an endangered species.

Drop fish is sometimes eaten, but not everyone considers it a delicacy.

Let's highlight the most interesting and informative facts about the most unusual fish on our planet:

• The appearance of the blob fish became the prototype for one of the alien creatures in the movie "Men in Black 2".
• She does not have a swim bladder with gas inside, which would regulate the movement in a vertical projection. This function is performed by a jelly-like substance, which has a density lower than that of salt water.
• Despite the fact that the sea creature belongs to the class of fish, it has significant differences with the latter. Great depth and millions of years of evolution have created a huge gap between the drop fish and other fish species. Interestingly, no intermediate links between them have been found yet. Even more or less close relatives have not been found. This is a unique and unlike anything creation.
• A drop fish in natural conditions has no enemies. At this depth, only giant squids (octopuses) and fishing trawls pose a possible threat.
• This is one of the few fish species that guards its eggs and takes care of its offspring.
• Drop fish see perfectly in complete darkness. Moreover, her eyes are located in such a way that she can see almost everything around her, except for the space below her. However, the creature floats above the bottom surface, so it's not that important.
• A strange sad or sad expression of the “face” is achieved due to the corners of the wide mouth bent down. A special piquancy is given by a process resembling a nose. It was her appearance that made her popular.
• In Australia and Europe it is considered inedible. At the same time, Southeast Asians revere it as a delicacy. In Japan, China and Indonesia, some restaurants make exotic dishes from drop fish. The taste of meat is peculiar and is unlikely to please gourmets.
• Drop fish are not purposefully caught. She gets into the nets of trawls when catching shrimps and lobsters. Or sometimes it is thrown ashore.

Every year, a person covers with networks of fishing vessels more and more areas of the sea. This has an impact on the size of the drop fish population, since it is not used to hiding and is not able to escape in case of danger. Commercial fishing for shrimp and lobster causes irreparable damage to the species. Caught individuals can no longer be released into the wild and die after they rise to the surface. The deep-sea species does not tolerate pressure drops.

The fish is already endangered and conservationists have been campaigning to protect it for years. Difficulties also lie in the low ability to reproduce, which is why the population reproduces too slowly. There is progress, but this is not enough to fully guarantee the preservation of this wonderful creation.

Unusual, sometimes ugly, sometimes funny inhabitants of the Earth always attract attention. Exotic creatures that inhabit the bottomless depths of the oceans are an object for research by scientists and the reason for the genuine interest of most of the inhabitants of the planet. The mysterious Australian goby or drop fish (Psychrolutes marcidus) is one of the strangest creatures in the deep waters. What does she represent?

Habitat

Known in Australia as the Australian sculpin, the blobfish has a small population and is rarely seen by humans. Feels great at great depths - from 800 to 1200 m. The limited habitat - the Australian coast, the islands of Tasmania and New Zealand - and habitat features have led to a few information about the drop fish among ichthyologists. A drop fish feels comfortable in the waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. It differs from most of its relatives in that it practically does not float to the surface or shallow depths.

Color

It is difficult to judge the color of a drop fish. Photos taken by researchers in their natural habitat, at considerable depths, confirm the characteristic coloring for the family of ray-finned (goby) fish. These are shades from sandy to greyish-brown. Instances that were awarded a photo shoot on land are closer in color to squids: from light pink to gray tones. The fry drops are predominantly beige in color, which helps to protect themselves from possible predators.

Nutrition

The pressure of the water column, structural features of the drop fish determined the dissimilarity of its food chain. Unlike many inhabitants of the seabed, this type of cold-blooded creatures does not hunt for prey. The huge mouth serves as a trap for slowly passing plankton, which "swims" into the oral cavity itself. The remains of biological substances, tiny invertebrates, algae - do not go unnoticed by this amazing fish.

The size

The largest fish is a small drop, about 30 - 35 cm. Sometimes larger individuals come across, as in the photo, reaching a length of 60 cm. The jelly-like, watery body is a drop in shape, from where the name came from. Researchers note a slight change in the size of the goby psycholute when it hits land: at first, a significant increase in the head and perifin zone, and then a gradual “deflation” in volume.

reproduction

The spawning process of the drop fish is different from most creatures that inhabit the ocean. Some of its deep-sea inhabitants, producing offspring, rise to shallow water so that the eggs, mixing with plankton, successfully mask and develop. Other representatives of the animal world descend to great depths to reproduce the genus.

A drop of fish never leaves the bottom of the oceans, seas, spawning in the sand. A caring mother of the family, she "hatches" the fry without moving. Then for a long time the kids are under the control and care of the mother. The gaps in science include the open question of how a drop fish finds a mate.

Lifespan

The inhabitant of the Australian coast does not have natural enemies, however, the number of drop fish is constantly declining. The reason is human activity - catching lobsters, shrimps with the help of bottom trawls, where this creature often gets. Tourists, curious onlookers do not miss the opportunity to show off in the photo with this unsympathetic outwardly fish, which is also detrimental to her life. Therefore, even taking into account the concern for offspring, it takes from 5 to 14 years to replenish the population.

Distinctive features of drop fish: interesting facts

Drop fish or Blobfish, as English-speaking residents call this creature, belongs to the family of psychrolutes. Unusual, to put it mildly, appearance served as the basis for the use of the image in feature films (for example, "Men in Black - 2"), animation, and the creation of numerous cartoons.

The wide-set eyes are an advantage for navigating in the absolute darkness of the ocean floor. However, located on the sides of a strange process that resembles a huge nose, they give a dull and sad expression to the drop fish. The lowered corners of the mouth complete the "sad" appearance, which is sometimes referred to as "complete sadness."

The special structure of the body - the absence of a bladder and muscle mass, the spine, a poorly developed fin system - distinguish a drop of fish from their own kind. Having a density of a jelly-like mass slightly less than water, the Australian goby confidently and comfortably "floats" at such depths where living creatures cannot survive. The surface of the body of an unusual fish does not have scales.

Video: drop fish under water and on land

What causes human interest in the non-standard appearance of a drop fish? Exploring the characteristics of such inhabitants of great depths, humanity is approaching the solution of the possibility of life under the water column. An unusual appearance, a unique body structure, the ability to comfortably move under pressure a hundred times higher than above sea level distinguish this creature. Do you want to see unique photos and videos of the Australian goby with a deep-sea camera at a depth of more than a kilometer? Watch our video:

Photo: What the saddest fish on earth looks like

The permanent winner of photo voting in the ratings of the strangest inhabitants of the planet, the drop fish is attracting more and more interest. The Australian government, concerned about the extinction of the population, environmentalists, in order to attract interest and increase the safety of the existence of the Australian sculpin, attract interest in this creature by releasing funny soft toys and funding additional research. What Psychrolutes marcidus looks like in its familiar environment - deep under water - and on land, you can see in the photo below.