The blobfish beat out the kakopo, axolotl, the Titicaca water frog and the proboscis monkey to win the competition by over 10,000 votes.
The idea for the Ugly Animal Preservation Society started with a science-themed comedy night, according to BBC News. What followed was an idea for a campaign designed to protect the “aesthetically challenged” endangered species of the world. According to the CBC, local mascots for Edinburgh and Brighton were the gob-faced squid and naked mole rat, respectively.
President of the Society Simon Watt, a biologist and TV presenter, explained that our reasons for wanting to protect wildlife are usually based on the cuteness factor of the animal, therefore making preservation a very egotistical exercise. Pandas are a prime example of the cuteness factor at work.
“I have nothing against pandas,” Watt told the BBC, “but they have their supporters. These species need help.”
The winner was announced at the British Science Festival in Newcastle.
The blobfish lives off the coast of Australia and Tasmania at depths of 600 to 1,200 metres. Its gelatinous body is only slightly denser than water, and it allows the fish to “bob around” in the ocean depths.
The inedible fish feeds on mainly crabs and lobsters and is thus easily caught in trawling lines.
