Scientific Name: Vampyroteuthis Infernalis
Family Name: Vampyroteuthis
Weight: around 1 pound
Habitat: Ocean (deepest,darkest part of the ocean)
Lifespan: 1-2 years
Interesting facts
The Vampire Squid is the last surviving species in their family Scientists have found fossils of different species
in their family It’s the only member of the family leftThey feed on plankton They look a bit like a squid and a bit like a octopus They have soft,jelly-like body and moves with the help of 8 tentacles The skin between the tentacles are webbed They are covered with photophores all over their body Photophores – Small,light producing organs to scare off predators
They are invisible to the naked eye in a bright daytime aquarium They are designed to survive conditions in (OMZ) Oxygen Minimum Zone It can float It’s not quick in digesting food They have large gills
It has 2 eyes-the largest in the entire animal kingdom
It has three hearts – two branchial hearts which delivers blood to the gills and the 3 rd heart is a systemic heart which delivers blood to the entire body Vampire don’t have teeth They got their name from their gothic appearance They don’t suck blood either They don’t hurt anything bigger than tiny jellyfish They don’t shoot ink but can shoot shiny,sticky mucus to stun it’s predators It has no poison or venom.Even the mucus they produce is harmless. They have the ability of turning their bodies inside out This is known as “pumpkin” or “pineapple” posture
It’s predators are whales,sea lions and rattails Their biggest predator is the six foot giantgrenadier The vampire squid are forages and scavengers They live off something known as marine snow Marine snow – never ending shower of small,fragile organic material that drifts to the bottom like snowflakes
Female vampire squids can harbour as many as 10,000 immature eggs Males have spermatophores
Baby vampire squids are 8mm long and the bodies are transparent
They lack webbed skin between the tentacles Their eyes are small and the velar filament are not fully formed