( CNN ) -- Save the panda ! Sure : how could the world do without such cute , endangered creatures ? And tigers . Never mind that the adult of the species will happily rip your head off and lick its lips afterward , can you think of a better mascot for a creature threatened with extinction than those adorable , fluffy feline cubs ? ( Miaow ! ) Trouble is , goofy humans that we are , we tend to equate ( what we consider ) beauty with importance in the ecological scheme of things . In fact , nature 's many repugnant , repulsive -- or just very small -- denizens can be just as important for the environment 's health . The monkey with the hideous schnoz . It 's just that the proboscis monkey ( with its frankly obscene schnoz ) , the pubic louse ( whose name speaks for its own , hideous self ) and the aptly named blobfish tend not to front animal conservation campaigns . Or none that anyone 's ever heard of . Step forward the Ugly Animal Preservation Society . The British group , sounding like something that 's just funny-walked out of a Monty Python film , is , it says , dedicated `` to raising the profile of some of Mother Nature 's more aesthetically challenged children . '' To the end of saving ugly endangered creatures , reports Wanderlust travel magazine , the Society is in search of a mascot -- something nice and slimy , like the jumping slug , or just malformed-looking and squat , like the New Zealand kakapo parrot . Introducing the hagfish . The group has garnered public nominations for those neglected organisms -- also including the hagfish , the purple pig-nosed frog and the giant Palouse earthworm -- that make us shudder , but that no doubt consider each other ethereally beautiful after a pint of slime or two . And that possibly also think Natalie Portman and Ryan Gosling look like bats ' bums . Comedians will champion the public 's nominations at money-raising gigs for the Society later this month and next . Read more : Are these the world 's cutest creatures ? In the meantime , the gallery above shows off some of the most unfortunate beasts from the Ugly Animal Society 's shortlist and elsewhere on the Web . Have you encountered worse on your travels ? Let us know , in the comments section below , which animal you 'd least like to be reincarnated as .
Ugly Animal Preservation Society protects nature 's less gorgeous endangered species . Nascent zoo is in search of mascot . Aptly named mouse and long - nosed frog among contenders . Win your nomination for grossest organism .