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The fantastic , perpetually grumpy - reckon blobfish has been crown the macrocosm ’s ugly fauna .
With its new title , the inscrutable - sea creature will serve as the hideous public face of the U.K.-based Ugly Animal Preservation Society , an environmental group that champions " Mother Nature ’s more esthetically challenged tiddler . "
The blobfish is named for its droopy, blob-like face.
In its quest for the anti - panda , the campaign , which started as a comedy night , roll up thousands of voter turnout to choose a mascot from 11 campaigner lacking in traditional personal magnetism . As it turn out , the public decided the blobfish was even more repellant than the " scrotum frog , " pubic insect and the liberal - nosed proboscis monkey . [ Photos : The Freakiest - Looking Pisces ]
Biologist Simon Watt , " President for Life " of the Ugly Animal Preservation Society , announce the achiever Thursday ( Sept. 12 ) at the British Science Festival in Newcastle .
" We ’ve needed an slimy face forendangered animalsfor a long time and I ’ve been amazed by the populace ’s reaction , " Watt said in a statement . " For too long the cunning and fluffy beast have taken the limelight but now the blobfish will be a voice for the mingers who always get forget . " ( Minger is British slang for an unattractive person . )
Though the group ’s delegation is moderately cheeky , it does genuinely go for to recruit the profile of animals that look serious menace in the wild .
Blobfish ( Psychrolutes marcidus ) , for example , get caught in sportfishing trawler as they feed off crab and lobsters hold out 1,900 to 3,900 substructure ( 600 to 1,200 meters ) below the surface , off the coast of Australia and Tasmania . Some researchers fear that the 12 - inch ( 30 - centimeter ) gelatinous - looking Pisces could be jeopardize because of overfishing , consort toThe Telegraph .
Physicist Brian Cox fox his livelihood behind the campaign , saying there are " too many hoi polloi trying to save cute animals . "
" They get all the wardrobe , and all the attending , " Cox said in a statement . " Ugly animal are more deserving than cute animate being . So I think it is a superb campaign . "
