Blobfish Voted the World's Ugliest Animal

While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, evidentially, ugliness is too. As was evidenced when a majority of voters decided that the endearing — albeit slimy and drooling — blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus) has a face that only a mother could love. The creature was crowned ugliest animal in the world and will now assume duties as mascot for the Ugly Animal Preservation Society.

Like some kind of quivering gelatinous mass of cute grumpy old man, the poor pulchritude-challenged creature is in danger of extinction thanks to fishing trawlers that accidentally catch the creatures in their nets off the coast of Australia where they live in the deep sea.

But with the society’s announcement, perhaps the future of this dear blob of a fish won’t be so bleak. The Ugly Animal Preservation Society aims to raise awareness of creatures whose risk of extinction is mostly overlooked because they are not "cuddly" enough. (Hello, giant pandas.)

With 200 species becoming extinct every day, the society says ugly animals need even more love and attention because of their less-than-alluring appearance.

With that in mind, society founder and President Simon Watt, enlisted a group of 11 celebrities and comedians to create short videos each campaigning for one animal as the ugliest. More than 3,000 viewers cast their votes in the online poll, and with 795 “ayes,” the blobfish took home the prize.

Watt said, "We've needed an ugly face for endangered animals for a long time and I've been amazed by the public's reaction. For too long the cute and fluffy animals have taken the limelight, but now the blobfish will be a voice for the 'mingers' who always get forgotten."

So congratulations, blobfish. See the society’s take in the video below: