Overview
Blobfishes are deep-sea fishes. Te Papa scientists were the first to see a blobfish “free swimming”. This came as a surprise. With their bulky bodies and stubby fins, it was thought that blobfish would be poor swimmers. It was presumed that they rested on the seabed before unleashing a brief burst of speed to ambush prey.
But footage from Te Papa’s deep-water BRUV, or Baited Remote Underwater Video, at a depth of 900 metres, showed a blobfish free swimming with apparent ease.
The blobfish seen swimming and featured in the exhibition is Psychrolutes microporos. This species is widespread in the deep seas around New Zealand, as well as Japan. Te Papa’s scientists think New Zealand is a hot spot for blobfishes and their relatives, with greater diversity than elsewhere. This includes new species that still have to be scientifically named and described.
Footage of other deep-sea fishes by Te Papa, on Youtube.
Related reference:
Zinten V, Anderson MJ, Roberts CD, Harvey ES, Stewart AL, Struthers CD (2012) Diversity and composition of demersal fishes along a depth gradient assessed by baited remote underwater stereo-video. PLoS One. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048522. Open Access.