They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If that's the case, then the people who called these animals "the ugliest in the world" might have some pretty bad taste. Sure, not all of these creatures are exactly beautiful. But if you're a real animal lover you might be able to find something cute, or at least interesting, about just about every one of them. Read on to see if you agree with the judges about these "ugly" animals!
This Is What A Diet Of Slim Jims Does To You
Meet Zsa Zsa. She’s an English Bulldog with a huge tongue and a drooling problem. These credentials helped her win the title at the 2018 World's Ugliest Dog Contest. Once she was up on the judging stage, Zsa Zsa’s owner had to carry her past the judges. As reported to The New York Times, “[Zsa Zsa] was eating part of a Slim Jim on the table and just sneezed all over them and was drooling on them.” That must have been the talent portion of the contest!
Admittedly, the dog’s tongue is pretty large but she certainly can’t help that. And no one looks great with a large ropy string of drool dangling from their lips. Sadly, Zsa Zsa died in July of 2018. At least this “ugly” dog got to experience fame for a while.
His Name Is Ugly Bat Boy For A Reason
This cat named Ugly Bat Boy has one unique look, all right. Dr. Stephen Bassett, a veterinarian in New Hampshire, adopted him when he was just a kitten. He’s almost completely bald with strange patches of hair around his head. He lived as an outdoor cat at first but Bassett said that people were freaked out when they saw "Uggs" outdoors hunting. “People who saw him wouldn’t know what he was,” he said. “They would be somewhat nervous about him.”
Eventually, Bassett took "Uggs" to live indoors at the vet clinic and the cat thrived. People flocked in to meet the strange-looking animal and local media dubbed him the ugliest cat in the world. Uggs started to preen himself and loved all the attention he got. When he passed away in 2013, the people who knew him were devastated. "People are very upset, and they’re saddened by it," Bassett said. "He was an entity that touched a lot of people."
Little Peanut Won The Ugly Pageant
Peanut here was the 2014 winner of the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest. Peanut had a rough life before he became a pageant winner. He lived in an abusive home and was burned in a fire. His strange appearance doesn’t mean that he’s not a sweet little guy, though!
Owner Holly Chandler told Time: “[Peanut] doesn't have lips anymore. His eyelids are also gone, and so he can't close his eyes, so therefore his eyes water. The tears drain into his nose and so he has nice little snot bubbles because of it... that adds to his character." Here’s a special bonus: Peanut’s $1,500 winnings went to helping other dogs in unfortunate situations. Good boy, Peanut.
When Being Ugly Is An Asset
Poor Ugly Bertie. He’s so unfortunate looking that even the local rescue group that picked him up as a stray called him ugly! The Persian cat’s fur was matted and flea-infested. Shelter manager Kathy Kay spoke to Metro after they took Bertie in. "Have you ever seen an uglier cat than that? We keep looking at him and laughing but, at the same time, we feel really sorry for him."
The staff felt confident that Bertie would be adopted because of his sweet disposition, though. They were right. One week after his photo appeared in the paper he was adopted! His new furrever home even features a special cat outhouse, so he will live out his days in comfort.
‘Big, Ugly, Lazy And Gassy’
Those are some choice words used to describe this pooch named Martha. The Neapolitan Mastiff was crowned in the 2017 World's Ugliest Dog Contest. Martha is enormous, weighing in at 125 pounds, and she appears to be all jowls. During judging she repeatedly laid her head down and let her wrinkly face spread out over the stage.
This is another happy comeback story. You see, Martha was in bad shape when she was rescued a few years ago. Her owner nursed her back to health after several surgeries. Although Martha probably doesn’t care much about her new status as “world’s ugliest dog,” she’s helping spread awareness about the wonderful love that comes along with rescuing animals!
Who ‘Nose’ Why This Monkey Was Called Ugly
This creature is a proboscis monkey, and the public voted it one of the top five ugliest animals in the world in 2013. You can probably take a guess why. These monkeys have very distinctive noses, and some people refer to them as “long-nosed monkeys.”
Here’s the thing. These monkeys aren’t ugly to each other. In fact, the males use their large noses to attract mates! The specialized organs create a kind of echo chamber that amplifies a male’s calls, which increases the number of potential mates that will hear them. Maybe these guys need to grow some noses that are even louder, though. Sadly, proboscis monkeys are on the endangered list.
A Turkey Vulture Is Always Ready For Halloween. That's Not A Bad Thing, Is It?
Here’s another animal that falls into the category of “ugly” but helpful. Turkey vultures might be one of the scariest-looking birds out there! Lots of people think so. Animal Planet even ranked the turkey vulture in their top-ten list of ugly creatures. They look like red skeletons in big feather coats.
But nature usually knows what it’s doing. The turkey vulture’s most menacing features are designed to help it survive. The birds can eat better with bald heads and necks… no feathers to clean up after a messy meal of carrion. And vultures are an important part of our ecosystem. By eating dead animals, they keep things clean and free of contagious diseases. Here's another win for the ugliest among us!
Voted Into The Ugly Club For All The Wrong Reasons
Every year the Ugly Animal Preservation Society invites members of the public to vote for the ugliest animal in the world. They get tons of submissions, and bats are a frequent nominee. This one is a vampire bat. With his squashed nose and oversized ears we think he looks kind of like a funny, fuzzy pixie.
Many people are scared of bats though, which might be why they find the little critters so repulsive. The truth is that bats are beneficial to have around. They eat a ton of bugs and mosquitos and help pollinate plants! Even their droppings are useful as a fertilizer. How ugly do you think this guy is now?
Even The Name Of This One Is Questionable
In our search to find something redeeming about every animal on the ugly list, this one gives us the biggest trouble. To start, this deep-sea creature is called a “blobfish.” Not exactly the most appealing name on the planet but it does describe the fish’s appearance pretty well.
The UK’s Ugly Animal Preservation Society named the blobfish the most "aesthetically challenged" in its annual World’s Ugliest Animal contest. The good news: the reason for the contest is to bring awareness to endangered animals that aren’t as cute as, say, pandas or tiny lemurs. So the blobfish is helping preserve its own species with its ugliness. Sounds like a good way to turn lemons into lemonade, if you ask us.
How Did Walle End Up Winning This Title?
We just don’t understand this one, but guess you can’t argue with the judges. Walle here is a beagle/basset/boxer mix, and believe it or not he won the top prize at the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest in 2013. We think he’s totally cute!
But even Walle’s owner Tammie Barbee admits he’s a little bit funny looking. She told People, “His head has always been bigger than his body. Whenever people walk up to him they’re always like, ‘That dog is not right.’” But she loves him anyway. “He’s an amazing dog… I don’t feel like he’s any different.”
