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Malcolm Walker back on Wild but True.
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Today we're diving deep, and I mean
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really deep. No, to uncover the truth
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about one of the internet's most famous
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and let's be honest, weirdest looking
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animals. I'm talking about the one and
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only blobfish. You've probably seen the
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picture. A gelatinous pink blob with a
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droopy nose and a permanent frown
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looking like a melted cartoon character.
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It was even voted the world's ugliest
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animal. But what if I told you that
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we've been looking at the blobfish all
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wrong? The famous photo that made the
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blobfish a meme sensation is actually
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not what it looks like in its natural
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habitat. Think about it. This fish lives
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in the crushing darkness of the deep sea
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between 600 and 1,200 m below the
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surface off the coasts of Australia and
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New Zealand. Down there, the pressure is
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immense. We're talking 60 to 120 times
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greater than what we experience at the
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surface. To survive, the blobfish has a
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very special body. It's made of
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gelatinous tissue that's just slightly
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less dense than water. This allows it to
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float effortlessly just above the
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seafloor, conserving precious energy
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while waiting for small crustaceations
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and other tasty morsels to drift by. It
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doesn't need a swim bladder, the gas-
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fil organ most fish use to control their
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buoyancy, because at those depths, the
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pressure would just crush it. So, why
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the blobby sad face? It's all because of
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something called depressurization.
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When a blobfish is accidentally caught
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in deep sea trolley nets and pulled up
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to the surface too quickly. The drastic
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change in pressure causes its body to
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expand and lose all its shape. Its
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gelatinous structure can't handle the
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low pressure of our world, so it
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essentially collapses into the droopy
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pile we see in photos. It's like taking
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a deep sea diver and launching them into
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space without a suited S. Not a pretty
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picture. In its natural deep sea
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environment, the blobfish looks much
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more like a typical fish. Has a
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recognizable head, eyes, and a more
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streamlined body. It's a fascinating
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example of extreme adaptation. So, the
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creature we often mock for its
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appearance is actually a victim of
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circumstance. A survivor of one of the
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planet's harshest environments. The
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blobfish isn't ugly. It's just out of
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its element. It's a powerful reminder
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that looks can be deceiving and that
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every creature is perfectly adapted to
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its own world. Next time you see that
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meme, you'll know the real story behind
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that famous frown. Thanks for watching.
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If you learned something new today, hit
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that like button and subscribe for more
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deep dives into the wonders of the
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animal kingdom. See you in the next
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video.
#Pets & Animals
#Wildlife
#Biological Sciences