Vampire Squid

The vampire squid is a small cephalopod and is found in tropical as well as temperate oceans. They usually exist in the deep seas and use bioluminescent organs and oxygen metabolism to survive parts of the sea that have extremely low levels of oxygen.

This sea creature resembles both a squid and an octopus. However, it is neither of the two. It has eight arms and two tentacles. The vampire squid’s name comes from its dark color and the skin that connects its multiple arms, forming a cape-like structure.

Vampire squids have two retractile filaments, but typically only one is extended at a time and used to collect food particles from the water.

Incredible Vampire Squid Facts

• Arms with spines: Each of the vampire squid’s eight arms has spines that are arranged in two rows.
• Largest eyes in the animal kingdom: These sea creatures have the largest eyes in the animal kingdom in comparison to the size of their bodies.
• Multi-colored eyes: The eyes of the creature look either red or blue, depending on the light in which they are in at that particular moment.
• A unique way to move forward: These creatures move forward by ejecting water from a hidden organ.
• Seldom eaters: Vampire squid only need to eat a few times every week.

Classification and Scientific Name

The vampire squid belongs to the class Cephalopoda and goes by the scientific name Vampyroteuthis infernalis. It belongs to the Animalia kingdom and the Mollusca phylum. Interestingly, the literal translation of the scientific name is “vampire squid of hell,” creating a rather memorable moniker for this creature.

Obviously, the vampire squid isn’t actually a vampire. In fact, it seems to have come from early ancestors of the octopus, and it is considered to be an extremophile (i.e., lives 3,000 feet below sea level). Despite the name, it isn’t actually a squid, but it does have a distant relation to both squids and octopi.

The order and family that the vampire squids belong to are Vampyromorphida and Vampyroteuthidae, respectively.

Evolution and Origins

The vampire squid, despite its name, does not feed on blood like the legendary vampire. It is considered a “living fossil” as it evolved from an ancestor of the octopus and has been in existence for 165 million years, as evidenced by its lineage in the fossil record.

The vampire squid is an extremophile that resides in the deep ocean, specifically at depths of 2,000 to 3,000 feet, where there is no sunlight.

The illustrated Vampyronassa rhodanica, a predecessor of the present-day vampire squid, existed approximately 164 million years ago. Its body was streamlined and muscular, and it had eight arms that possessed sturdy suckers that it could have used to capture and secure its prey.

Furthermore, the fertilized vampire squid egg grows into a larva with an enormous head and eight short arms. The vampire squid has four fins on its mantle as a juvenile. When the animal ages, two of these fins are reabsorbed into its body.

Currently, there is only one species of these creatures. However, scientists believe that there were others too, as some fossils of the species belong to the same family.

Appearance

These creatures have gelatinous bodies and are jet-black to pale reddish. The body colors depend on the different locations and also on the kind of lighting in which the creature exists.

It resembles both a squid and an octopus but is neither. Though the lineage relates them to both, the creature is unique, with a size that is approximately that of a football. In fact, it is about the same shape as well.

They have eight arms that are webbed together by skin and two retractile filaments, which are unique among cephalopods.

These creatures have red eyes that also sometimes look blue in different lighting, and they move forward by ejecting water from a hidden organ. They use bioluminescent organs and oxygen metabolism to survive low-oxygen parts of the sea.

Distribution, Population, and Habitat

These creatures are found between 300 and 3,000 feet of sea depth. A majority of them are found at depths of 1,500 to 2,500 feet.

These sea creatures are also distributed direction-wise. The north-south distribution is usually localized between the fortieth-degree north and south latitudes. The water in such locations is about two to six degrees.

These creatures are found in tropical and temperate deep waters all around the globe. Their habitats usually comprise very cold waters.

The population of vampire squids is not yet known. However, NOAA has declared these sea creatures to be ‘not threatened,’ and it has been said that they are not even slightly dangerous for humans.

Predators and Prey

Like any other living creature, they are also preyed upon. Meanwhile, they also prey on other living organisms to fulfill their food needs.

Predators: What Eats Vampire Squid

Some of the creatures that form the primary predators for these creatures include:

• Whales
• Large fish
• Sea lions

Prey: What Vampire Squids Eat

Meanwhile, the vampire squids are detritivores and are the only cephalopods that do not eat live animals. They usually feed on marine snow and detritus, which includes fecal pellets and dead planktonic creatures.

Reproduction and Lifespan

Sources suggest that at the time of reproduction, the male passes packets full of sperm to the female. The females then store these packets in pouches until they need the sperm.

The sperm can rest in the pouch or sac for several weeks before they get to fertilize the egg. It is known that one such packet can be observed as a red dot-like structure near the eye of the creature.

The gestation period lasts about 13 months, during which the female vampire squid doesn’t eat. It is known to often die after giving birth, the cause of which is known to be exhaustion.

The babies usually don’t eat for some time after birth as they are born with internal reserves of energy.

These sea creatures reach sexual maturity for reproduction at about two years of age and are known to constantly reproduce throughout their lives until death.

The lifespan of a vampire squid is usually very long. While the total lifespan is unknown, the adult life stage of squids can last up to eight years.

Fishing and Cooking

There is very little known about whether or not vampire squids can be fished out of the sea by humans and whether or not they can be cooked and incorporated into the human diet.

However, it is known that they aren’t easy to catch because they stay in very deep waters where light can be restricted. Also, they are known to be harmless and are not considered even slightly dangerous for humans.