In 2013, the blobfish won the vote of the Ugly Animal Preservation Society, a British association aiming to draw attention to threatened species that no one finds cute. The blobfish became a mascot. However, the circulating photo shows an animal distorted by its ascent from over 1,000 meters deep.
This top 10 lists fish often described as ugly. For each, you will find the scientific name, an indicative depth, and the answer to the question that matters to a diver: can it be seen in recreational diving?
A correction before starting. The previous version of this page classified the sea pig among fish, whereas it is a deep-sea holothurian, a sea cucumber. It is replaced here by the stonefish.
What is the ugliest fish in the world?
The blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus) has held the title since the 2013 vote. It lives between 600 and 1,200 meters off the south of Australia and Tasmania, according to the Fishes of Australia fact sheet updated in 2025. Its flabby appearance mainly comes from decompression. In its environment, the pressure supports its body.
1. Blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus)
It measures up to 38 cm, has no scales, and its head accounts for about 40% of its length. Its gelatinous flesh has a density close to that of water, allowing it to stay above the seabed without much swimming, an energy-saving advantage where food is scarce. A fun detail: the famous “Mr Blobby” of the Australian Museum belongs to a related species, Psychrolutes microporos. It was brought up in 2003 from depths between 1,013 and 1,340 meters. Its full story is told in the article dedicated to the blobfish, voted the ugliest fish in the world.
You will not encounter it in recreational diving.
2. Deep-sea anglerfish (suborder Ceratioidei)
These anglerfish live in open water, mostly beyond 1,000 meters (approximate order of magnitude, varying by species). The female’s luminous lure owes its light to bacteria. In several families, the male remains tiny and eventually fuses to the female, to the point of sharing her bloodstream. This reproductive mode is detailed in our article on the deep-sea anglerfish and its fused love. Thus, almost all we know about them comes from scientific trawling and remotely operated vehicles.
Which ugly fish live in the North Atlantic?
Two cold-water species appear in this top: the Atlantic wolffish and the lumpsucker. Both frequent rocky coastal bottoms, putting them within reach of divers from Norway, Iceland, or Scotland. The lumpsucker also descends to the English Channel. The water there is cold.
3. Atlantic wolffish (Anarhichas lupus)
Its large head and prominent canine teeth gave it its name. The largest individuals approach 1.5 meters. It lives in complex rocky habitats, often wedged in a crevice, crushing shells, crabs, hermit crabs, and sea urchins with its rows of teeth. Yet it remains discreet. Most of the time, a diver only sees its head emerging from a rock hole, and a guide familiar with the site is needed to know where to look.
4. Lumpsucker (Cyclopterus lumpus)
Its pelvic fins form a suction cup that fixes it to rocks. Adults rarely exceed about sixty centimeters and a few kilos.
The previous version mentioned a record weight nearing two tons, a figure completely unrelated to the species.
In spring, the male guards the spawn near the coast, sometimes just a few meters deep, and it is during this period that North Atlantic divers most often spot it on algae-covered rocks.
Which ones can you encounter in the Mediterranean and temperate Atlantic?
Three fish from this top frequent waters more familiar to a European diver: the stargazer, buried in the sand; the sunfish, passing offshore; and the toadfish, hidden under stones. Seeing them depends on luck and terrain. No club can promise you that.
5. Stargazer (Uranoscopus scaber)
In the Mediterranean, it buries itself in the sand, leaving only its eyes, looking upwards, and its mouth exposed. It waves a small fleshy filament attached to the lower jaw to attract prey passing above the sand. The previous version mentioned a luminescent lure, whereas this filament produces no light. Two venomous spines are located above the pectoral fins. The shocks capable of stunning prey are mainly described in another genus of the same family, Astroscopus, which lives in the western Atlantic. Its biology is detailed in our profile of the stargazer.
6. Ocean sunfish (Mola mola)
Its body ends with a rounded fin, the clavus, instead of a tail. It descends several hundred meters to feed then rises to warm up near the surface. The weight record among bony fish belongs to a related species, Mola alexandrini: an individual weighing 2,744 kg found dead off the Azores in December 2021 and described in the Journal of Fish Biology in 2022. But encountering one remains a matter of luck, including in Bali or the Azores. Everything else is in our file on the ocean sunfish, one of the strangest fish in the world.
7. Toadfish (family Batrachoididae)
In Portugal and the western Mediterranean lives the Lusitanian toadfish (Halobatrachus didactylus), a stocky fish that shelters under stones in shallow water. Males emit sounds to attract females and then guard the eggs. In the Caribbean, Sanopus splendidus, endemic to Cozumel, attracts photographers with its stripes and yellow-edged fins.
The previous version attributed to it seasonal “horny excrescences,” a claim that could not be verified and was removed.
Which ones to watch without ever touching?
The striated frogfish, the stonefish, and the spotted handfish require strict distance. The stonefish can seriously injure you. The other two tolerate disturbance poorly, and the handfish, classified as critically endangered, lives only in a handful of bays in southeastern Tasmania. The reflex remains the same: stable buoyancy and no hands on the bottom.
8. Striated frogfish (Antennarius striatus)
It rarely exceeds twenty centimeters. Hair-like skin spines cover its body, and a worm-shaped lure waves at the tip of its first dorsal spine. Its mouth opens suddenly and swallows prey almost as large as itself. It is found in the warm waters of the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic, often on shallow sandy or debris bottoms, and “muck diving” sites like Lembeh, Indonesia, have made it famous among photographers. The previous version claimed that the male devours the female after mating. Due to lack of a serious source, this sentence was removed.
9. Stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa)
It lives on shallow reefs of the Red Sea and Indo-Pacific and resembles a rock covered with algae. Its dorsal spines inject a very painful venom. A sting is a medical emergency. This is one of the reasons why we never touch marine life, even a bottom that looks inert. Its camouflage is among the extraordinary defense mechanisms of marine animals.
10. Spotted handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus)
Without a swim bladder, this small Tasmanian fish moves along the bottom by walking on its fins, according to CSIRO. It lives between 1 and 60 meters, with the highest density between 5 and 15 meters, in the Derwent estuary and a few sheltered bays in the southeast of the island. The species is critically endangered. The Northern Pacific starfish (Asterias amurensis), introduced to the region, eats the stalked ascidians on which it lays eggs. The previous version accused it of directly eating its eggs. CSIRO mainly points to the loss of these spawning supports.
However, such a reduced population tolerates disturbance poorly, and the decision to search for it rests with local managers and guides.
Where to see these ten fish while diving: summary table
Of the ten species, two remain out of reach for recreational diving: the blobfish and the abyssal anglerfish. The other eight live at accessible depths, although no observation is guaranteed. The table summarizes the scientific name, an indicative depth, and the areas where divers report them.
| Rank | Species | Scientific Name | Depth | Recreational Diving? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blobfish | Psychrolutes marcidus | 600 to 1,200 m (Fishes of Australia, 2025) | No |
| 2 | Abyssal Anglerfish | Ceratioidei | Mostly beyond 1,000 m (indicative) | No |
| 3 | Atlantic Wolffish | Anarhichas lupus | From the coast to several hundred meters (indicative) | Yes, cold waters: Norway, Iceland, Scotland |
| 4 | Lumpfish | Cyclopterus lumpus | Coastal in spring, deeper the rest of the year (indicative) | Yes, North Atlantic and English Channel |
| 5 | Stargazer | Uranoscopus scaber | Sandy bottoms, from shallow to great depths (indicative) | Yes, Mediterranean |
| 6 | Ocean Sunfish | Mola mola | Surface to several hundred meters (indicative) | Sometimes, irregularly |
| 7 | Toadfish | Halobatrachus didactylus, Sanopus splendidus | Shallow coastal waters (indicative) | Yes, Portugal, western Mediterranean, Cozumel |
| 8 | Striped Frogfish | Antennarius striatus | Shallow sandy or debris bottoms (indicative) | Yes, Indo-Pacific and warm Atlantic |
| 9 | Stonefish | Synanceia verrucosa | Shallow reefs (indicative) | Yes, Red Sea and Indo-Pacific, no contact |
| 10 | Spotted Handfish | Brachionichthys hirsutus | 1 to 60 m, mostly 5 to 15 m (CSIRO) | Rare, critically endangered species |
Only two depths in the table are sourced, those of the blobfish and the spotted handfish. The others are approximate ranges. And most of these fish live motionless, camouflaged in sand, algae, or crevices, so you can pass a meter away from a stargazer or stonefish without noticing anything. A local guide knows where to look. However, they cannot guarantee an encounter, and no species list displayed by a center replaces what the site shows on the day of your dive.
In short, these fish require mostly patience.
The price to pay is measured in minutes spent scrutinizing the bottom, with buoyancy clean enough not to damage anything or get stung.
FAQ
What is the ugliest fish in the world?
The blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus) was voted the ugliest animal by the Ugly Animal Preservation Society in 2013. Its flabby appearance comes from decompression during ascent. In its environment, between 600 and 1,200 meters, its body maintains a firmer shape.
Can you see a blobfish while diving?
No. It lives between 600 and 1,200 meters, far beyond recreational diving depths. Images of the animal in its environment come from underwater vehicles.
Is the sea pig a fish?
No. The sea pig (genus Scotoplanes) is a holothurian, a deep-sea sea cucumber. That is why it no longer appears in this fish ranking.
Which ugly fish can be seen in the Mediterranean?
The stargazer, buried in the sand, and the Lusitanian toadfish in the western part. The ocean sunfish also passes through irregularly. None of these encounters is guaranteed.
Sources
- Smooth-head Blobfish, Psychrolutes marcidus (McCulloch 1926) (Fishes of Australia, Museums Victoria, 2025)
- Safeguarding the critically endangered Spotted Handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus) (CSIRO, accessed 2026)
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