The Ugliest Animals on Earth

Evolution is a funny thing. To simplify it, only those animals with the most advantageous of traits will survive to mate, thereby passing those traits to their offspring. And so, through many cycles of this, we are left with the features common to all animals in a species. But, sometimes, those qualities best for survival or mating can leave an animal leaving looking like it has been beaten with an ugly stick.

The world is full of breath-taking and beautiful things, these are not some of them. These are pH7s contenders for the title of “planet Earth’s ugliest animals”:

Honorary mention: Tarsiers.

(Source:a-z-animals.com/animals/tarsier/)

This author thinks tarsiers are adorable, however, they crop up time and time again when ugly animals are mentioned. Tarsiers are, in fact, primates, found on the island of Southeast Asia.

7. Muscovy Duck

(Soure: sueddeutsche.de)

Just making the list is the Muscovy Duck, native to Central and South America. It definitely gets worse than this but with a face like a Turkey’s wattle (the bit that hangs beneath its beak), this duck deserves a spot.

6. Celestial Eyed Goldfish

(Source: animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/goldfish/CelestialEyeGoldfish.php)

This is the only animal on our list whose appearance did not come about by natural means. The Celestial Eyed Goldfish was created in the 18th century by mutating the Telescope Goldfish. Unsurprisingly, they have very limited vision. Poor things.

5. Chikilidae

(Source: www.frogindia.org)

No, that is not a worm but a legless amphibian. Admittedly, Chikilidae, only discovered in 2012 in India, is not one species of animal but a family. For those of you that don’t know, family is a taxonomic rank used to classify animals. For example, our family is Hominidae (before Homo and sapien). So there are potentially many species of Chikilidae infesting the world.

4. Anglerfish

(Source: unknown)

The home of the Anglerfish is so deep in the ocean that it is too far for sunlight to penetrate, so it doesn’t matter that it has a face that only a mother could love because there’s no light to see it. Except, of course, the light (bioluminescence) on its head which it uses to attract unwitting prey into its gaping maw. But, the best thing about Anglerfish is that, to mate, the male must fuse to the female’s side until all that is left of him is the gonads to impregnate her.

3. Monkfish (Lophius)

(Source: wikipedia.org)

Fish have really been dominating this list, but with the Monkfish is it difficult to see why? These beauties are very common and found all around the European coast. They are also delicious.

2. Naked Mole Rat

(Source: flickr.com)

You may be familiar with the naked mole rat as Kim Possible’s pet, Rufus. Unfortunately, these creatures aren’t nearly as cute in real life, but they are as cool. Naked mole rats are the only mammalian thermoconformers, meaning they can alter their body temperature to that of the environment, which is useful in its native East Africa.

1.Blobfish

(Source: noaa.gov)

Many of you will have seen this coming, the winner of ugliest animal is none other than the spectacular blobfish. They are found in the deep waters around Australia and when they are in the water don’t look nearly as bad! It is their low density flesh that gives that very… distinct look when in the air. It is feared that the blobfish is close to extinction due to its habit of being caught in nets during Deep Ocean trawling. I don’t know about you, but no matter how aesthetically challenged it might be, it would be sad to lose another creature to human thoughtlessness.

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