Creature Feature – Vampire Squid
This week features the letter ‘V’, and today’s spotlight is the Vampire Squid.
Vampire squids are deep-sea scavengers that float through the dark waters collecting marine snow and other debris using their long feeding filaments. Despite their name, vampire squids are not actually true squids. They belong to their own order within the phylum Mollusca and are the only living members of the family Vampyroteuthidae.
A remarkable feature of vampire squid are their eyes. Vampire squids have enormous eyes that help them see in the darkest regions of the ocean. Relative to their body size, they have the largest eyes of any known living animal. At the end of each of their arms is a light-producing organ that emits bright blue bioluminescence.
Did you know? Their scientific name, Vampyroteuthis infernalis, means “vampire squid from hell.”
Taxonomy
Scientific Name: Vampyroteuthis infernalis
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Order: Vampyromorphida
Family: Vampyroteuthidae
Genus: Vampyroteuthis
Vampire Squid Fact File
Size: Up to 12 inches (30 cm)
Distribution: Found globally in deep temperate and tropical waters; can survive in oxygen-minimum zones of the ocean
Diet: Marine snow, zooplankton, mucus, and excrement
Behaviour: When startled, the vampire squid flips its arms inside out, creating a cloak-like structure that envelops its mantle. This action reveals fleshy, spike-like appendages known as cirri on the underside of its webbed arms, which are often iridescent
IUCN Status: Unknown
