Blobfish in and out of water
Blob fish can be found in water with a funny face, but this species will die as soon as it gets out of the water. Blob fish can be caught as a result of deep-sea trolling as they live in the same area as bald shrimp and crabs.
In fact, living images of blobfish are rarely available because they cannot survive in shallow water and certainly not out of the water.
While taking a recent dip in the northern California coast, the team encountered a blob scalpin (Psycholytus fripus) and was watching the fish while guarding a small, pink egg shake. Blobfish in water vs out of water is comparable.
The above trio is the same species as this living specimen, but as you can see, the animals look a bit different in-depth! In fact, they are actually pretty cool.
Psycholytes mercidus is a deep-water fish that sits on the coast of Australia somewhere between 2,7 and 5 feet below the Australia Yew. At the bottom, the pressure is 120 times higher than the surface. Blobfish does not have a swimming bladder, so its stomach can stay inside its body.
Blobfish occupy about 2,800 meters (9,200 feet) of habitat beneath the waves – an area that faces incredible stress. Because they are so deeply diverse, many of these animals have adapted physically to deal with the harsh conditions.
For starters, blobfish bones are extremely soft, and therefore have a lower risk of cracking. Evolutionary work is a great way to survive when your home is constantly trying to crush you but gets stuck in a troll trap and things start to get worse.
Most fish use an air-filled swim bladder to buoy, but this is a dangerous kit for deep-sea fish, as pressure changes can stretch the swim bladder and force other internal organs out of the mouth. Instead, as a part of blobfish in and out of the water, relies on their gelatinous meat – which is somewhat less dense than seawater – on the shore.
Blobfish remains underwater is a deep-sea fish that lives in water above sea beds at depths of 600 to 1,220 m (2,3 to 5,7 feet) off the coast of mainland Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania. … This is the most common picture you will see of a blobfish that is housed in the Australian Museum.
This does not mean they have to worry about their own stomach “vomiting” (yes, it really does) but the blubby frame has its own problems. The internal structural support of the fish is minimal, so it is such a deep-sea pressure that it actually holds everything together.
When caught on the surface, the blobfish quickly face a drop of pressure, and the anatomy that works so well from the depths suddenly turns on them, stretches out, and falls into a ditch.
Much of what we have learned about these fish come from dead specimens, so encountering a living person in its natural habitat is always a treat – even for the seasoned crew of Nautilus. “I’ve always wanted to see one!” One of the scientists is heard saying in the clip. “They look so bad!”
The research team notes that the greater part of the pair may be brooding females, but it’s hard to say for sure that we don’t know much about blob scalpin biology yet. You will also notice an octopus in the background, possibly risking any chance for this tiny protein-packed egg.
Other Recommended Articles
- Acanthurus Nigrofuscus – Profile | Diet | Description | Biology
- Common Bleak – Profile | Facts | Habitat | Ecology | Diet
- Elops Saurus – Ladyfish – Profile | Diet | Habit | Size | Habitat
- Striped Bass – Profile | Habit | Range | Lifespan | Size | Diet
- Mountain Whitefish – Profile | Description | Habitat | Habit | Diet
- Round Whitefish – Profile | Behavior | Lifecycle | Diet | Habitat
- Greater Amberjack – Description | Facts | Size | World Record
- Lesser Amberjack – Description | Size | Habit | Habitat | Nutrition
- Queen Angelfish – Size | Habitat | Reef Safe | Facts | Diet | Juvenile
- Japanese Amberjack – Profile | Facts | Size | Habitat | Nutrition
- Pomatomus Saltatrix – Profile | Habitat | Feeding | IUCN
- Atlantic Whitefish – Profile | Range | Biology | Migration | Endangered
- Alaska Whitefish – Facts | Behavior | Biology | Harvest | Size
- Olive Flounder – Profile | Facts | Size | Eyes | Diet
- Girella Punctata – Profile | Gray | Distribution | Facts
- Splendid Alfonsino – Profile | Size | Habitat | Biology | Life Cycle
- Rainbow Smelt – Size | Diet | Facts | Habitat | Predators | Lures
- Pygmy Whitefish – Food | Description | Habitat | Biology | Catch
- Sohal Surgeonfish – Profile | Care | Tank | Biology | Feeding
- Yellowfin Surgeonfish – Profile | Facts | Care | Habitat | Diet
Since their eggs are an ideal snack for passing fish and cephalopods, scalpins keep them in abundance. It is estimated that in a single nest there may be 1,5,3 eggs, but only one percent of the blobs will make it to adulthood.
Nesting is considered a rarity in the deepest depths of the ocean, and in fact, this behavior was never observed in a deep-sea species until a blood scalpin was spotted at a nest site in 2003.
These fish are aggressive predators, so keeping them serves a dual purpose here: Protect the next generation, and wait for delicious invertebrates to pass.
Why is it different to see blob fish in submerged water?
And, likewise, the blobfish does not like being present here. Many fish have something called a swim bladder that spits in the air, which helps them to move around and be happy. When you take fish from a natural habitat with a swim bladder that the air sack “can expand when they grow.
