When you think of the term “vampire”, what’s the first thing that pops into your head? Do you think of Dracula and other horror stories of blood-sucking fiends? On the Animal Kingdom spectrum, you probably think of vampire bats and in the worst-case scenario, leeches. However, one even more frightening fish exists: The Vampire Squid. The Vampyroteuthis infernalis, or “vampire squid of hell” is named for its blue eyes, reddish-brown skin and webbed arms. Technically, they are Cephalopoda, meaning they are not “true squids”, but are categorized as squids for the sake of physical similarities and simplicity. Similar to true squids, there is a sexual dysmorphism in size, meaning female vampire squids are significantly large than males. However, the hellish vampire squid ranged in size from 12-28 cm, making them closer to cute than threatening to humans (Vampire Squid).
Vampire squids are fierce predators despite posing little to no threat to humans. They use small light producing filaments in their tentacles to attract prey, before using their beaked mouth to attack (Vampire Squid). Their carnivorous habits and hunting techniques make vampire squids a skilled predator, but only to similarly tiny creatures. At depths of 600-1200m, these squids have been known to suction onto humans but cannot harm them through thick thermal diving suits.
For such small creatures to subsist at extreme depths, vampire squids have developed several unique adaptations to facilitate their life processes. To hunt successfully in the dark, they have very large eyes; they have the largest proportional eye-to-body ratio in the world of any animal. Also, their body composition is similar to that of a jellyfish; they have very little muscle and a high percentage of soft tissues. They also developed large circular organs on the posterior of each fin, through their mantle, head, and aboral surface called photophores. These unique organs produce luminescent clouds of particles that glow for between 2-9 minutes (Vampire Squid). When attracting prey or seeking to confuse predators, vampire squids will activate photophores to disorient other creatures.
Despite their threatening name, Vampire Squids are generally docile creatures. Their small size and glowing appendages pair for a somewhat cute display, though their coloration is far from adorable. These “squids of hell” are truly not as threatening as their name implies and help balance the micro-ecosystems that support many larger fish as well. They are currently not threatened by human activity and will hopefully remain so for generation to come.
Vampire Squid ~ MarineBio Conservation Society. (2020, May 25). Retrieved October 23, 2020, from https://marinebio.org/species/vampire-squid/vampyroteuthis-infernalis/
It’s amazing how a creature can adapt to survive and the vampire squid is another example of this.
Seeing as how the vampire squid does not attack humans, I think it is ironic as to how the squid got the name from humans. I get that they use similar methods for feeding in comparison to vampires, but why that name?
Just reading about the vampire squid, and its ability to survive in the ocean, really just makes me think of all the possible creatures in the ocean we have yet to discover. After all, we have been to the moon more times than we have to the deepest possible depths of all the worlds oceans.