What Is a Vampire Squid?

The vampire squid belongs to the scientific class Cephalopoda, which includes all species of octopus and squid. Physically, it appears like a mixture between a squid and an octopus, possessing features of both. The species' scientific name, Vampyroteuthis infernalis, translates as "vampire squid from hell" -- an apt description, given the animal's bizarre appearance.

  1. Description

    • The vampire squid is a small squid species that grows to 11 inches in length, with females generally being larger than males. It has an octopus-like body with eight legs that are connected by a webbed membrane. Typical squid-like fins are found on the sides of the main body, as are two tendril-like filaments that extend farther than the legs and can be retracted. It is jet-black in color with red eyes that are, in proportion to its body size, the largest of any animal on earth.

    Habitat and Range

    • The vampire squid a deep-ocean species, found in the world's warm tropical seas generally at depths between 1,000 and 10,000 feet. Geographically, the squid is found between 40 degrees north and 40 degrees south latitude. Light from the surface rarely penetrates the regions in which the vampire squid is found. Oxygen concentration within the water is also much lower at these depths than nearer the surface.

    Diet and Predators

    • The vampire squid is a carnivore, and because it lives in the dark, has developed to be slow moving when hunting and evading predators. It uses its filaments to feel in the dark waters for prey, which include shrimp and other tiny crustaceans such as copepods and cnidarians. When the squid feels prey, it does not attack aggressively but swims around until it catches the creature. Predators have a hard time catching the squid because of the darkness of the waters in which it lives, but remnants of vampire squids have been found in the stomachs of whales and seals as well as deep-diving predatory fish.

    Life Cycle

    • Breeding for the squids takes place in the dark, with the males internally fertilizing the larger females' eggs. The female then releases the fertilized eggs, each of which is 1/10 of an inch in size, directly into the water. The eggs then clump together in floating masses that remain in the deeper waters until they hatch.