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Blobfish

By: Ji Min Lee


Classification
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Psycholutidae
Genus: Psychrolutes
Species: P. Marcidus
Circulatory System
One main circuit: from heart to gills-for
oxygen and to release carbon dioxide-to
cells; closed system (vessels and loop-
blood flow returns to heart to continue)
2 chamber heart: 1 atrium (receiving)
and 1 ventricle (pumping)
Temperature: is cold blooded=low body
temperature, polikilotherm=body
temperature varies (may fluctuate
based on environmental temperature
change), & ectothermic=gets heat
through environment
*Simple diagram of fish digestive syste

Digestive System
Very small digestive system compared to other
fish-few digestive organs because small amount of
food eaten doesnt require a complex digestive
system
Process similar to other fish (simplified): mouth
captures food and food usually swallowed whole-
the food goes down the esophagus to the stomach
where the food is digested, then digested food
sent into the blobfishs intestine-nutrients and
water from food absorbed and sent to cells in
body, left over waste is excreted through the anus
Reproductive System
External Fertilization: both sperm and eggs
released into an external environment, sperm will
fertilize the egg outside of the organism
Sexual Reproduction: female gamete and male
gamete fuse to form zygote (which develops to an
organism genetically different from parents)
Oviparous: eggs deposited outside of female, which
develops and hatch (outside the female body)
Female lays 9,000~108,000 small pink eggs, male
or female blobfish float above or sit on their eggs to
protect them
Integumentary System
No scales-exterior is all fatty tissue
Jelly like skin (gelatinous)-to live in high
pressure and float around more easily
No hair
Skin has toxic slime
Adaptations
No Muscle-to float around for
food and conserve energy
Less dense than water-to
easily float around for food
No gas bladder (organ to keep
fish afloat in water)-to stay in
twilight zone and wait around
for food
Have backbone (so bilateral
symmetry) but not other
bones-to weigh less
Ancestors
Come from the psychrolutes genus in the
psychrolutidae family (fatheads)
Little info but thought to have broken away
from larger fish who lived close to water
surface and had bones
Common Behaviors
Remain stationary throughout its life: float in
same spot waiting for meal
Female blobfish stay in groups and remain
immobile until the eggs hatch (females nest
near each other for protection and easy
access to mates for their children)
Female (or male if female isnt around)
blobfish float above or sit on their eggs to
protect them
Habitat
Waters of New Zealand,
Australia, and Tasmania
In twilight zones
(Mesopelagic): depth of
200 to 1000 meters
(660 to 3300 feet)
below the ocean
surface, high pressure
(up to 1470 psi), poorly
lit-dark blue or black
color, cold (39 to 41
degrees F)
Eat
Eats sea urchins, mollusks, crab, lobster, slow
moving bottom feeders, crustaceans, and
anything smaller than them that is close to
their mouth (like zooplankton)
Is an omnivore-eats anything near its mouth
Natural Predators
No known natural predators-human
disturbance the greatest threat
Blobfish-trophic
level 4 (omnivore-

Food Web tertiary consumer)

Crab-
trophic
level 3
(omnivore
-
secondary
consumer
)
Mollusk-
trophic level 2
(herbivore-
primary
consumer)

Sea Urchin-
trophic level 2
Algae-trophic (herbivore-
level 1 primary
(producer) consumer)
Niche
Like garbage disposal-
eat anything smaller
than it floating around
its mouth
Maintains population
of small deep sea
creatures-make sure
they dont
overpopulate
Disturbance
Deep ocean trawling:
nets by humans catch
blob fish (bycatch),
inedible because of toxic
slime around them
Listed as endangered
species-humans are the
only known threat (no
known natural
predators), may possibly
be extinct
Species
Native: stay in habitat (twilight zone of
Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania)
because they die once they are removed-
removal from twilight zone pressure makes its
body blob like, removal from water causes its
body to dry out and shrivel
Not an invasive species-arent alien species
and dont disrupt biodiversity (do not kill off
native species-even if they could be placed in
another habitat, they eat by floating and
couldnt threaten the native species there)
5 Interesting Facts
Considered ugliest animal in the world
The flap of skin that hangs over the lips of the
blobfish (looks like nose) is not a nose, its just
skin
Head is 1/3 of total body weight
Thought to live to an average of 130 years
because of extremely slow growth and
reproduction rates-caused by the cold
temperature, little food supply, low oxygen and
low light levels of the twilight zone
Can move mouth without muscles

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