Blobfish crowned world's ugliest animal

Behold, the blobfish. This sad-faced, gelatinous sea creature has just become the world's ugliest animal, beating out the kakapo parrot, proboscis monkey and other "aesthetically challenged" contenders in an online contest run by the Ugly Animal Society.

The endangered blobfish lives off the coast of southeastern Australia and Tasmania and is often caught in fishermen's nets. It won the contest with 795 votes.

"We've needed an ugly face for endangered animals for a long time and I've been amazed by the public's reaction," society president Simon Watt said in a statement. "For too long the cute and fluffy animals have taken the limelight, but now the blobfish will be a voice for the mingers who always get forgotten."

Watt told the BBC that the idea behind the contest is to highlight species that need help, but are often ignored because they're not as cute as say...pandas.

"We only protect the animals that we relate to because they're cute, like pandas," the biologist and TV presenter said. "If extinction threats are as bad as they seem, then focusing just on very charismatic megafauna is completely missing the point.

"I have nothing against pandas," he added. "But they have their supporters. These species need help."