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3. What are the vampire squid and the vampire fish?

**The vampire squid and the vampire fish**  Two daunting aquatic creatures. A Vampire squid*A vampire squid surrounded by marine snow is captured on film during a dive on the E/V *Nautilus*. Image credit: Ocean Exploration Trust*  The vampire squid is a small ( 12-inch-long) cephalopod found in deep temperate and tropical seas. Originally thought to be an octopus because it lacks the two long tentacles that usually extend past a squid’s eight arms, the vampire squid possesses characteristics of both squid and octopi, and occupies its own order in taxonomy (scientific classification). Its  huge, bright blue eyes — proportionally the largest in the animal kingdom — dark color, and the  velvety, cloak-like webbing that connects its arms give the vampire squid its common  name. Its scientific name, *Vampyroteuthis  infernalis**,* literally  means “vampire squid of Hell”! While it does not suck blood like its mythical  namesake, the vampire squid is a “living relic” that evolved from an ancestor  of the octopus, and its lineage goes back 165 million years in the fossil  record. The  vampire squid is an extremophile, inhabiting the dark ocean depths from    2,000-3,000 feet. If threatened, this defensive deep-sea Dracula does  not eject ink, as do most of its cephalopod cousins. Nor can it change color to  confuse intruders the way its shallow-water cousins can; living as it does in  the deep ocean, where  little light penetrates, color-changing is a pointless  strategy. Instead, the vampire squid squirts a copious cloud of sticky, bioluminescent mucus toward would-be predators (and the occasional research ROV). *Ewww!* On the freshwater side, the vampire fish is a nickname for the payara, an abundant gamefish found in the Amazon Basin. While this large, 1.5-to-3 foot fish does not suck the blood of its prey, its  six-inch-long fangs, which protrude from an undershot jaw, result in a face only a (payara) mother could love. In recent years, the payara has gained popularity as an occupant in large, “aggressive” freshwater aquariums. Live goldfish are among this fangy predator’s favorite prey. Consequently, aquarists are advised to select tankmates too big to fit inside this vampire’s saber-toothed maw!
 **Did you know?** *Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute have discovered that, while the vampire squid does not have the same type of feeding tentacles as squids, it does have two very thin filaments that function  much like feeding tentacles. These filaments aren't used to capture live prey, but are means for collecting marine snow — the bulk of the animal's diet.*  More **Information** Nautilus Live: vampire squid video What  is an extremophile? What is  bioluminescence? How far does light  travel in the ocean?   Get **Social** Social
  **Last updated:** 01/18/24 **Author:** NOAA How to cite this article Contact Us


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