This video features a "blind ranking" game where hosts Sarah, Cali, and Hank rank a series of animals based on a secret category, which is revealed to be "the blobiest animal." As each animal is unveiled from an envelope, the hosts discuss its characteristics and perceived "blobbiness," deciding on a rank from one to five without knowing the full list of contenders. The animals ranked include the Southern Elephant Seal, the Blobfish, the Deep Staria Jellyfish, the Sea Pig, and the microscopic Placozoa. Additional "secret" information provided for each animal often highlights surprising facts or contextual details (e.g., the Blobfish's true appearance in its natural habitat) that challenge initial assumptions about their "blobbiness," leading to humorous debates about the definition of "blobby."
Summarizing "The Blobbiest Animal" Blind Ranking Game:
0:00 Introduction to the Game: Hosts Sarah Suda, Cali Moore, and Hank Green introduce a new "blind ranking" game, where they will rank animals based on an unknown category without seeing the full list.
0:49 Category Revealed: "The Blobbiest Animal": Sarah begins the first round, and the challenge is to rank animals by their "blobbiness."
1:12 Southern Elephant Seal (#4): The first animal revealed is the Southern Elephant Seal. Despite its massive size (up to 6 meters and 3,700 kg) and unique "galumping" movement on land, it is ranked #4, as the hosts anticipate "blobbier" contenders. A fun fact notes it's the only mammal known to use rhythm for communication in the wild.
5:20 Blobfish (#1 - Debated): The second animal is the Blobfish, which Sarah immediately ranks #1 due to its viral, frowny appearance. However, a "secret envelope" reveals that its iconic "blobby" shape is an artifact of decompression when brought from its deep-sea, high-pressure habitat; in its natural environment, it looks less "blobby," sparking a debate about how to judge "blobbiness."
10:23 Deep Staria Jellyfish (#2): The third animal, a Deep Staria Jellyfish, is deemed highly blobby and ranked #2. These large (up to 1 meter) invertebrates inhabit the "blob zone" (600-1750 meters deep) and catch prey by enveloping them in a "death hug."
15:28 Sea Pig (#3): The fourth animal is the Sea Pig, a deep-ocean echinoderm (4-15 cm) that feeds on decaying organic matter. Described as a "blobby tube" with "little blobby feet," it can also swim by flexing its body. It is ranked #3.
17:58 Placozoa (#5): The final animal is the microscopic Placozoa (1-2 mm). As one of the simplest and flattest animals, lacking a nervous system or fixed body axis, its small size and plate-like structure lead to it being ranked #5, the least "blobby" of the list in a macroscopic sense.
21:13 Final Reflections and Ranking Review: The hosts review the final list: 1. Blobfish, 2. Deep Staria Jellyfish, 3. Sea Pig, 4. Southern Elephant Seal, 5. Placozoa. Hank suggests the Blobfish might be better ranked lower if judged purely by its natural form, emphasizing the challenge of defining "blobbiness" and the effects of environmental pressure on deep-sea creatures.