King of Ugly: Blobfish Crowned World's Ugliest Animal [VIDEO]

Britain's Ugly Animal Preservation Society announced Thursday that the blobfish, a slimy creature that resembles a frowning human face with an oversized nose, is the organization's official mascot.

The honor also gives the blobfish the unofficial title as the world's ugliest animal, besting other unfortunately appointed creatures such as the flightless kakapo parrot and the proboscis monkey.

The Ugly Animal Preservation Society began as a science-themed comedy night, but has gained momentum as an animal conservation group. On its website, the society states that it's mission is to "raise the profile of some of Mother Nature's more aesthetically challenged children. The panda gets too much attention."

Comedians in the society each chose an ugly animal to rally behind, making their case in a series of online video campaigns.

Funnyman Paul Foot, who championed the blobfish, accepted the award on the behalf of blobfish the world over. "On behalf of all the blobfish, thank you for this award. Thank you it means a great deal to me. Now, stay away from me and my family."

Physicist and British TV broadcaster Brian Cox lent his voice to the campaign, saying, "I support the ugly animal campaign, there are too many people trying to save cute animals. They get all the press, and all the attention. Ugly animals are more deserving than cute animals. So I think it is a superb campaign."

Blobfish live in deep seas where the pressure is several dozen times greater than it is at sea level. They spend their lives eating crabs and lobsters and gently bobbing around the deep sea, with their gelatinous body adding to their buoyancy, the British Science Association said in a statement announcing the news. The inedible blobfish faces a significant threat from being scooped up by fishing boats trawling the deep sea.

The first runner-up to the blobfish was the kakapo, an oversized flightless parrot that evolved in isolation on an island in New Zealand.

Third place went to the axolotl, a salamander that can regenerate lost limbs and remains aquatic for its entire life. South America's Titicaca water frog, whose Latin name translates to "aquatic scrotum," placed fourth. The big-nosed proboscis monkey placed fifth.