Blobfish are some of the most bizarre yet endearing looking creatures in the ocean. With their permanent frown and blob-like bodies, blobfish have become internet sensations. But what about baby blobfish? If you’re curious to learn all about these cute little creatures, you’ve come to the right place.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Baby blobfish look very different from adult blobfish. They are slender, lack the excess skin of adults, and have spines along their bodies to help them float and swim more easily since their bodies aren’t yet blob-like.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about baby blobfish, from what they look like, what they eat, how they develop into those blobby creatures we know and love, and more.
Appearance and Anatomy
Slender, Spine-Covered Bodies
Baby blobfish have slender, tadpole-shaped bodies covered in tiny spines that help protect them. Their spineless and gelatinous bodies help them float effortlessly in the deep sea. Lacking a swim bladder, their minimal muscle mass allows them to conserve energy in their food-scarce habitat.
Lack Excess Skin of Adults
Unlike the saggy skin of adult blobfish, baby blobfish have smooth skin that hugs their bodies. As they mature, the pressure differences between the deep sea and the surface cause their skin to become loose and gelatinous. This helps them stay buoyant and conserve energy in their extreme environment.
Coloration and Size
Baby blobfish are tiny, typically less than 2 inches long. Their coloration starts as a translucent white, later developing a pink or light red hue. As adults, blobfish can reach 12 inches long and take on more varied colors like yellow, brown, or grey.
Their comical appearance and near-permanent scowl have earned them internet fame. But these unusual fish play an important role as deep-sea predators despite their lazy looks!
Habitat and Diet
Found in Deep Oceans Worldwide
Baby blobfish are found in the deep oceans across the world, typically at depths between 600-1200 meters. Their natural habitat is on the seafloors off the coasts of mainland Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania.
Blobfish live in environments with high pressure and low oxygen levels that would be inhospitable to most other marine creatures.
Blobfish are well-adapted to living in the deep sea. Their gelatinous bodies are slightly less dense than seawater, allowing them to neutrally buoyant. This means they can float just above the ocean floor without actively swimming.
Blobfish have very minimal muscle mass and skeletal structure, making them perfect for a mostly sedentary lifestyle.
Baby blobfish share the same deep sea habitats as the adults. After hatching, they will remain in deep waters as they mature into juveniles and adults. While they can survive at a range of ocean depths, blobfish are most abundant at depths of 1000-1200 meters.
Plankton and Small Crustaceans
The diet of baby blobfish consists primarily of plankton and small crustaceans. As passive hunters, blobfish will wait for food to drift or swim within reach of their mouths. They feed on sources like:
- Zooplankton – Tiny marine animals like copepods and krill.
- Phytoplankton – Microscopic plants and algae.
- Crabs – Small crabs and shrimp live on the seafloor.
- Shellfish – Clams, snails, and other mollusks are dietary staples.
Young blobfish do not have well-defined teeth. Instead, they use their large, floppy mouths to suck up passing prey. Their diet is limited to tiny organisms that happen to pass within reach. As passive hunters, they expend very little energy obtaining food.
Blobfish are omnivores, meaning they will eat both plant and animal matter. However, the majority of their diet consists of zooplankton. The exact composition of their diet can vary based on the particular marine environment.
The eating habits of baby blobfish prepare them for the sedentary lifestyles they will lead as adults. Their dietary needs are minimal, allowing them to liveslowly and float in place their whole lives.
Development and Growth
Born Slender and Change Over Time
When baby blobfish are born, they look quite different from the blobby appearance they take on as adults. Newly hatched blobfish are slender, elongated creatures with little fat deposits in their bodies. Their neutral buoyancy allows them to swim freely in the water column.
As blobfish mature, their anatomy undergoes some amazing transformations. Their bones contain lighter, spongy tissue that gradually increases their buoyancy. Blobfish gradually accumulate more lipids (fats) in their bodies, causing them to become more blob-like in appearance.
Increase Buoyancy as They Mature
The key adaptation that allows blobfish to conserve energy is their reduced muscle mass and near neutral buoyancy. Blobfish have a density slightly less than seawater. This allows them to float just above the sea floor with minimal effort.
Blobfish increase their buoyancy as they mature by:
- Developing a gelatinous layer beneath their skin which contains polysaccharides that increase lift.
- Accumulating lipids and fats that decrease their overall density.
- Having connective tissues with lower density than seawater.
These adaptations allow mature blobfish to exert only minimal energy to navigate their habitat. Their unique buoyancy mechanism sets them apart from most bony fish species.
Reach Adult Blob Form in 2-3 Years
Blobfish undergo the most drastic physical changes within their first 2-3 years of life. During this rapid developmental phase, they morph from free-swimming juveniles to the blob-shaped adults recognized by their funny appearances.
As they reach maturity, blobfish not only increase their buoyancy, but also:
- Develop more grotesque facial features.
- Accumulate protective spines on their skin.
- Grow to about 30 cm in length.
- Settle on the seafloor in deep water habitats.
The shift to a sedentary, energy conserving lifestyle allows adult blobfish to survive with limited oxygen and food sources in their extreme deep sea home. Their bizarre appearance and lazy floating behavior also emerge during the adult phase.
Within just a few years, blobfish transform from petite swimmers to the bona fide blobs we know and love!
Behavior and Lifespan
Sedentary, Drift Along Ocean Floor
Baby blobfish lead a sedentary lifestyle, simply drifting along the ocean floor and expending little energy as they develop (1). These infant fish blend into their habitat on the sea bottom, having an amorphous, gelatinous body that resembles a blob.
Their unique anatomy allows them to float just above the ocean sediment without having to actively swim. This helps conserve energy as they mature. Baby blobfish have very minimal muscle mass and skeletal structure. They let the ocean currents gently push them along as they search for food.
Their inactive nature helps promote healthy growth during the early stages of life.
As juveniles, blobfish move even less than when they were newly hatched. They patiently wait for food to drift by their mouths as they recline on the seabed. Young blobfish may wiggle slightly to reposition themselves, but overall demonstrate a complete lack of motion.
Their anatomy is structured to require minimal energy expenditure. This lethargic approach lasts throughout their lifespan.
Short Lifespan of 5-10 Years
Unfortunately, blobfish have a relatively short life expectancy for fish, living only 5-10 years on average (2). Since they do not move around much, it takes longer for them to evade predators and find a mate. Their sedentary nature increases vulnerability.
Blobfish become sexually mature around 4 years old. After reproducing, the gestation period is just 3-4 months before babies are born. Females lay thousands of tiny eggs at once. However, very few offspring survive to adulthood due to the high number of predators in deep ocean ecosystems.
Many babies fall victim within their first year of life.
The short lifespan of blobfish is attributed to their minimal muscle mass and inactive lifestyle. Their anatomy simply does not support a long life. Blobfish trade longevity for an energy-conserving existence, prioritizing rest over motion.
They remain fixed in place, absorbing nutrients from the water until their time is up after just a single decade.
Threats and Conservation
Climate Change and Ocean Acidification
Climate change and ocean acidification pose significant threats to baby blobfish. As greenhouse gas emissions increase, oceans absorb more carbon dioxide, causing them to acidify. The pH of the ocean has already dropped by 0.1 units since the industrial revolution.
This acidification makes it difficult for marine organisms like blobfish to form their skeletons and shells. Research indicates a pH drop of 0.5 units by 2100 could reduce the ability of blobfish larvae to successfully hatch by 45%.
Rising ocean temperatures also threaten blobfish habitats. Blobfish live in deep, cold waters off the coasts of Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania. However, climate change is causing waters at these depths to warm.
One study found the blobfish’s habitat warmed by 0.9°C between 1981 and 2005. As waters warm, blobfish are forced to migrate to cooler depths or risk overheating. This disrupts their established ecosystems.
Overfishing and Bycatch
Overfishing endangers blobfish populations. Blobfish dwell along the continental slope where trawling vessels frequently operate. They become caught in nets as bycatch. One research voyage off Tasmania found blobfish made up 9.3% of all fish caught at one site. With their gelatinous bodies, blobfish suffer high mortality rates when hauled up from deep water.
Blobfish are also captured in gillnets and trawls targeting other species. A study examining bycatch rates in gillnet fisheries off southern Australia found blobfish made up 3.3% of total catches. Gillnets alone are estimated to capture over 32 million blobfish each year in Australian waters.
With blobfish reproduction rates uncertain, their populations may struggle to rebound from heavy fishing pressure.
IUCN Status: Data Deficient
The IUCN Red List currently categorizes blobfish as Data Deficient. Their habitats at ocean depths between 600-1,200 m remain largely unstudied. Population sizes, trends, and geographic ranges are effectively unknown.
Additional research is critically needed to understand blobfish numbers and how they are impacted by climate change, ocean acidification, and fishing.
Still, it is clear blobfish face severe threats from human activities. As pressures on their environment continue to mount, coordinated conservation efforts will be essential. Measures like marine protected areas, fishing quotas, and gear modifications can help safeguard the fascinating, gelatinous blobfish for the future.
Conclusion
Blobfish certainly have one of the most dramatic transformations as they grow from spiny, slender babies to the gelatinous blobs we all recognize. Learning about their development gives us a better understanding of these fascination creatures.
While baby blobfish differ greatly from the adults, they are equally as captivating.
Blobfish face numerous threats from climate change, ocean pollution and overfishing. Increased awareness and conservation efforts are needed to protect these unique fish. We hope this guide gave you a comprehensive overview of baby blobfish – their appearance, habitat, diet, development, behavior and conservation status.
Let us know if you have any other blobfish questions!
