The female blobfish lays thousands of eggs
The blobfish can grow up to 12 inches (30.5 cm) in length. A deep sea fish, it lives at depths of up to 2,700 feet (823 m) in the waters off the coasts of southeast Australia and Tasmania. There have been few sightings of this peculiar creature because of the extreme depth of its habitat. Although its exact life expectancy is unknown, deep water fish such as the blobfish tend to live longer than shallow water fish. Some deep sea species live for as long as 130 years because of their slow rate of reproduction, growth and aging.
The female blobfish lays thousands of eggs at once and stays near the eggs until they hatch, creating a nest. The female usually floats above the eggs or sometimes rests against the eggs. Several females often nest near one another, a behavior for which the cause still is unknown.
Although the blobfish is inedible and not fished for food, it faces threats from over-fishing. The blobfish shares its living habitat with edible bottom trawlers such as crabs and lobsters, causing it to be picked up accidentally by fishermen. This problem is magnified because fishermen in the waters where this fish lives practice deep trawling, a fishing method in which the fishermen cast their nets deep to the bottom of the sea and drag them along the sea bed using heavy gear before pulling up the nets. The blobfish sometimes gets trapped in these nets, along with other deep sea creatures. Scientists fear that the fish could become endangered if no measures are taken to preserve the species.