Blobfish are uniquely adapted to live in the extreme pressures of the deep sea. Their survival in these conditions is primarily due to specific biological features that counteract the immense force exerted by the surrounding water.
Key Adaptation for High Pressure Survival
Unlike most fish found in shallower waters, which rely on a gas-filled organ called a swim bladder to maintain buoyancy and control their depth, blobfish lack this feature. A swim bladder would be a severe liability in the deep ocean, as the intense pressure at those depths would cause it to implode.
Instead, the blobfish has evolved a body composition that makes it naturally suited to the high-pressure environment. The animal's soft body has a high water and fat content.
The Blobfish Body: A Pressure Solution
This high water and fat composition is crucial for their survival in several ways:
- Density: The gelatinous, low-density flesh, which is slightly less dense than water, allows the blobfish to float just above the seabed without expending much energy.
- Pressure Resistance: Having a body primarily composed of water and fat means there are no gas-filled cavities (like a swim bladder) or hard structures (like dense bones found in many shallow-water fish) that would be crushed by the pressure. The pressure inside the fish's body effectively matches the pressure outside.
- Structural Integrity: While appearing 'blob-like' out of water due to the lack of skeletal support and muscle density, their structure is perfectly suited to their natural habitat under immense pressure, where buoyancy is more important than rigid form.
In essence, the blobfish survives pressure by having a body that is largely made of incompressible substances (water and fat), allowing the external pressure to be evenly distributed and matched by the internal composition.
