Blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus)

The blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus) earns its title as the world's most bizarre-looking creature due to its gelatinous, sagging appearance when brought to the surface. In its natural deep-sea habitat (2,000-4,000 feet down), water pressure maintains its more typical fish shape. This sluggish inhabitant of Australian and New Zealand waters lacks muscles, instead floating passively to consume edible matter. Its unique density, slightly lighter than water, allows energy-efficient hovering above the seafloor. While often called "ugliest animal," the blobfish's strange form represents perfect adaptation to extreme ocean depths where few vertebrates survive.