Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but everyone knows ugly when they see it.

That's why these eight fish often find themselves selected as among the most hideous denizens of the deep. However, they certainly prove that looks aren't everything as each is perfectly adapted to living in its environment, which are among the most challenging on the planet.

Gulper Eel

Also known as the Pelican eel for its enormous mouth, the gulper eel lives in tropical and temperate ocean anywhere from 500 to 6,000 feet deep. The tail is tipped with bioluminescence, which is believed to be used as an attractant for prey.

Asian Sheepshead Wrasse

For some reason, this fish reminds me of the Elephant Man. It grows to about 40 inches in length and is prized as a food fish in its native range which is China, Japan, North Korea and South Korea.


Anglerfish live mostly in the murky depths of the of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. The get their name for the fleshy piece of the dorsal fin that hangs right over the mouth and is used as bait to attract prey. There are more than 200 different species of anglerfish.

Frilled Shark

Rarely seen, the frilled shark inhabits wide ranges of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. It's long, extremely flexible jaws enable it to swallow prey whole, while its many rows of small, needle-like teeth make it difficult for whatever it catches to escape.


It's appearance is more clownish than repulsive. The gelatinous, soft body of the blobfish has no swim bladder and it moves at the mercy of the currents and eats what drifts by. It floats just above the bottom at depths up to 4,000 feet.


Also known as a lumpsucker, this fish has pectoral fins that have evolved as sucker discs. The fish spends most of its life hanging to the bottom and feeding on small worms, crustaceans and mollusks. They are prized for their roe as a less expensive alternative to caviar.


A species of anglerfish, the monkfish has a broad mouth full of teeth and swallows its prey whole. The stomach distends to accommodate prey as large as the monkfish itself. The tail meat of the monkfish is delicious.


This fish is all teeth. In fact, the size of the teeth make it impossible for it to close its mouth. Despite the ferocious appearance, the fish is only about a foot long. During the day, they stay at 5,000 feet but come up to 2,000 at night to feed.

John Oswald: