Have you ever looked at a picture of a blobfish and thought, “Why does it look kind of… human?” You wouldn’t be the first! With its sad, drooping face and vacant eyes, the blobfish has earned fame on the internet for its oddly relatable expression. But beyond the memes and jokes lies an intriguing scientific question: since life originated in the ocean, is it possible that we, as humans, evolved from creatures like the blobfish?
Let’s take a deep (sea) dive into this fascinating idea. We’ll explore what the blobfish actually is, what scientists mean when they say we “came from the sea,” and whether there’s any real evolutionary link between us and this deep-sea oddity.
What Exactly Is a Blobfish?
The blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus) is a deep-sea fish native to the waters off the coast of Australia and New Zealand. It lives at depths of around 600 to 1,200 meters (about 2,000 to 4,000 feet), where the pressure is over 100 times greater than at sea level. Down there, the blobfish doesn’t look anything like the famous internet photos. In its natural environment, it’s just a normal, if somewhat gelatinous, fish.
The reason it looks so strange on land is due to decompression. At the surface, where the pressure is low, the tissues of the blobfish expand, giving it that famously saggy, sad face. So in a way, it’s misunderstood—but that hasn’t stopped it from being crowned “the world’s ugliest animal.”
Why Does the Blobfish Look Kind of Human?
There’s no denying it: when you see a photo of a blobfish, it’s hard not to see something familiar. That downturned mouth, the bulbous nose, the expression that seems like it’s silently judging you from the depths—it’s almost unsettling.
But that resemblance is mostly coincidental. The blobfish doesn’t have a brain capable of emotion, nor facial muscles to express feelings like a human does. What we interpret as a “face” is really just soft, jelly-like flesh and gravity doing its thing. But humans are wired to recognize faces, even in random patterns—it’s called pareidolia.
That said, the human-like appearance of the blobfish has sparked curiosity about our oceanic origins. Is there more to this similarity than meets the eye?
Did Humans Really Come from the Sea?
Yes! All life on Earth originated in the ocean. Around 3.5 billion years ago, the first life forms appeared in Earth’s ancient seas—simple, single-celled organisms. Over time, these evolved into more complex multicellular organisms. Eventually, some of these sea creatures evolved the ability to survive on land.
About 375 million years ago, a fish called Tiktaalik started developing features that helped it move in shallow water and even pull itself onto land. These were the early tetrapods—the ancestors of all amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, including us.
So, while we didn’t evolve from blobfish specifically, we did evolve from ocean-dwelling vertebrates that share a common ancestry with creatures like the blobfish.
What Makes the Blobfish So Different?
To understand why we didn’t evolve directly from the blobfish, we need to look at how evolution works.
The blobfish belongs to a family of deep-sea fish called Psychrolutidae, which have adapted to survive under extreme pressure. Their bodies are about as close to neutral buoyancy as you can get—think of them as aquatic blobs designed to float effortlessly in the deep ocean without expending energy.
Unlike many other fish, the blobfish doesn’t have a swim bladder (a gas-filled organ that helps most fish stay buoyant). Instead, its jelly-like flesh gives it the ability to float without much movement. This is perfect for its environment, where conserving energy is key.
Humans, on the other hand, evolved under very different conditions. Our ancestors moved from sea to land and began walking upright, developing larger brains and complex societies. These evolutionary paths are vastly different from that of the blobfish.
What Do Scientists Say?
Scientists have never claimed that humans evolved directly from the blobfish. However, they do emphasize that all vertebrates (animals with backbones) share a common ancestor.
This means that deep-sea fish like the blobfish and humans diverged on the evolutionary tree hundreds of millions of years ago. We’re distant cousins, not direct descendants. If evolution were a family reunion, the blobfish would be that great-great-great-great-grand-uncle who lives in a pressure cooker at the bottom of the sea.
What scientists do find fascinating is how different environments can shape the evolution of species. In the case of the blobfish, the deep ocean’s crushing pressure led to soft, squishy bodies. In our case, land life pushed our ancestors toward opposable thumbs, complex brains, and walking upright.
Similarities Between Humans and Blobfish?
Even though we’re not directly related, there are some biological similarities we share with the blobfish, thanks to our shared ancestry as vertebrates:
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Skeleton: The blobfish has a basic skeletal structure, though it’s more cartilage than bone due to the pressure of its environment.
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Bilateral symmetry: Both humans and blobfish have symmetrical bodies—eyes on either side, mouths in the center.
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Central nervous system: Like all vertebrates, the blobfish has a brain and spinal cord (though its brain is, admittedly, very simple).
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DNA: All living organisms share DNA, and the blobfish is no exception. The further back we go in the evolutionary tree, the more similar our genetic codes become.
Could Humans Ever Evolve Back Into Sea Creatures?
It sounds like a sci-fi plot, but evolution doesn’t work in reverse—it only moves forward, adapting species to their current environments. That said, if humans needed to live permanently underwater for thousands or millions of years, we might eventually evolve some sea-friendly traits.
But don’t expect us to become blobfish. Evolution doesn’t revisit old forms; it builds new ones based on present needs. So if you’re dreaming of becoming a sea blob, you’ll need more than just time—you’ll need a whole new selective pressure to make it happen.
Why the Blobfish Fascinates Us
Despite being called the “ugliest animal,” the blobfish has won hearts around the world. Its human-like expression has inspired plush toys, memes, children’s books, and even philosophical debates about perception and beauty.
And in a way, its odd appearance teaches us something important: nature doesn’t care about looks—it cares about function. In the crushing depths of the ocean, a low-energy, jelly-like body is a stroke of evolutionary genius.
So while we didn’t evolve from the blobfish, its existence reminds us how diverse, adaptable, and sometimes downright strange life can be.
Final Thoughts
So, did humans evolve from the blobfish? Not exactly. While we share a very ancient ancestor, our evolutionary paths took dramatically different turns. The blobfish adapted to survive in one of Earth’s most extreme environments, while we adapted to life on land.
Still, there’s something strangely comforting in knowing that we’re all connected in the grand tree of life. Even if our distant relatives are pink, squishy, and frown a lot, they’re part of the same incredible story that led to us.
Next time you see a photo of a blobfish, take a moment to appreciate it—not just for its comical appearance, but for what it represents: the wondrous, winding journey of life on Earth.
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