Who You Calling Ugly?

Cartoonist Jim Toomey, creator of Sherman's Lagoon, was at the Monterey Bay Aquarium last weekend for World Ocean Day festivities. During one of his presentations, he mentioned that he could never dream up more cartoonish creatures than actually exist in the ocean -- animals much more varied and unusual than the diversity found among land animals. ("Lots of things with four legs and fur" is how he put it.)

Unusual, OK. Diverse, sure. Just don't go calling them ugly.

Wauifekt.com used the U-word to single out its choices for the Top 10 ugliest fishes in the sea.

Of course what the photo parade doesn't mention is that all of these "ugly" animals are successful at what they do: using a diversity of strategies and adaptations to survive in a challenging environment.

Not to take it too personally on behalf of the aquarium, two of the Top 10 are regular inhabitants of our exhibits -- the wolf-eel and the ocean sunfish.

Granted, they're not classic beauties, but they have a certain....charm.

The wolf-eel in particular is amazing. Like many marine fishes, it undergoes a variety of transformations on its way to its final adult appearance.

As a juvenile, it's nearly transparent. A bit older, and its head takes on a pale orange tint, with a blush of red on its cheeks. Still older, and it has a spotted pattern that resembles a slinky aquatic giraffe. Older still and it's almost mauve with a snakeskin camouflage pattern. Only as an adult does it take on a mature blue-grey color.

That's hardly what I'd call ugly.  But beauty has always been in the eye of the beholder.