World's ugliest animal voted NZ's fish of the year

The blobfish, once dubbed the world's ugliest animal, has now been crowned the Fish of the Year by an environmental group in New Zealand.

The blobfish took home the coveted title thanks to almost 1,300 votes out of a total of 5,500 in a competition which is held annually by the Mountain to Sea Conservation Trust, to raise awareness for New Zealand's freshwater and marine life. 

In 2013, the blobfish gained worldwide notoriety when it won the top award at the Ugly Animal Preservation Society. 

The strange-looking fish is found mainly off the coast of Australia and Tasmania as depths of 2,000-4,000 ft.

The body of a blobfish deforms into a soft, mushy shape when brought to the water surface, however when in its natural deep-sea habitat the creative resembles the shape of a regular fish.