And God Created … A Blob!

David Everson

A blobfish, that is! As scientists of the world collect and observe animals from the creation by an all-powerful God, they, many times, are amazed by what they find.  This is particularly true of a deep water species of fish that has been named the blobfish. Let us look at some of the unique features that God created in this unusual looking specimen.

This fish is not very large – usually around 12 inches long – and has a face that, as the old saying goes, “only a mother could love.” It was called by the NOAA website Weird Fins, as having one of the “funniest fish faces in the world.” Another website says that the blobfish looks like it was drawn for a cartoon and would be a cartoon character that represented the “grumpiest, ugliest fish on earth.” It is really not very pretty by any stretch of the imagination and appears to have a constant scowl on its face, but, when out of water, does look like just a big piece of fat. However, in God’s creation, beauty is not necessarily a requirement for being alive. The blobfish teaches us this if no other animal does; but, this unusual structure that gives it its shape is very necessary for survival in the environment where it lives.

The blobfish lives off the coast of Australia and Tasmania in deep water up to 2400 feet deep. Here the water pressure is up to 80 times higher than that of sea level. All of the fishes that live in these deep ocean waters must have some mechanism to be able to withstand these high pressures. The blobfish is composed of a large amount of a “jelly-like” substance that is lighter in water. It has no air bladder which, in many fish, is used to assist in floating in the water. The jelly-like material allows this fish to be able to float just above the sea floor without expending much energy as it waits for food. An air bladder at these high pressures would not operate very well, so this material was an ingenious design to compensate for the problem. This “jelly-like” material causes the blobfish to have a fat round head and bulbous nose, hence part of its “ugliest fish” description.

This fish is not a real strong swimmer and appears just to float, thanks to the jelly-like material, just above the bottom of the ocean and waits for its food to come to it. So, not only ugly, but lazy as well! Well, we cannot blame the blobfish, as its niche in God’s creation is at this time not well understood. The only time these fish have been seen very much is when they are found in the nets from fishing trawlers, and then they are dead. So, we are not really very familiar with their daily routines, and, if we understood their lifestyles better, I am sure we would be even more impressed. 

So, in the creation of the blobfish, God shows another method to allow living things to survive in some of the most unlivable places on the earth. But, then again, what would we expect, as the Lord said to Jeremiah, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?” Jer. 32:27. The creation of the blobfish just refreshes our understanding of the power and majesty of God. –Rt 1 Box 116A, Belington, WV 26256. aedeverson@yahoo.com

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