The Vampire Squid

In the first issue of Miracles of Life, we explored the shallow seas of the world to discover the wonders of the Mantis Shrimp. For this issue, however, we’ll be going deeper. Much deeper. Like, 3500 feet (1060 meters) deeper. And why are we going so deep? Simple. The subject of this issue can only be found in the cold, dark depths of the oceans. Meet Vampyroteuthis infernalis, the “Vampire squid from Hell.”

Vampyroteuthis infernalis, the Vampire Squid. In this image, the squid's eye (the largest of any animal relative to body size) is clearly visible, a brilliant blue in the lights of a deep-sea submersible.

The Vampire squid, despite the name, does not feed on blood. Neither is it a true squid. This bizarre cephalopod possesses some traits more akin to octopi, others that resemble squids or cuttlefish, and still other features that are not present in either group. Vampyroteuthis is, in fact, the last remaining species in an order called Vampyromoprhida, a group which is closer to octopi than squid, but is still separate from both. The Vampire Squid typically grows to about a foot in length, and is found in deep temperate and tropical waters worldwide. Evolutionists refer to the Vampire Squid as a “living fossil”, unchanged for millions of years. As a creationist myself, I view it instead as a testament to an ability to survive the cataclysmic changes after the Flood which claimed its bretheren, and a fantastic example of the creativity of God.

Feeding tendril deployed, a Vampire squid flexes its cloak in the hopes of snaring a meal. Floating scraps again, or will a passing shrimp provide a treat?

The Vampire squid has rarely been seen alive by humans, so little is known about its behavior beyond what has been observed from submersibles and ROVs. The main reason for this is its chosen habitat. Nearly all specimens that have been encountered or collected came from the aphotic (“lightless”) zone of the ocean, at a depth of between 2,000 and 3,500 feet (1242-2174 meters). Water pressure increases by one atmospheric value every ten meters, so by the time one reaches the beginnings of the Vampire squid’s preferred range, they are under a pressure more than 120 times greater than at the surface. A human body would be instantly crushed, so the only means of accessing such depths is in a heavily-reinforced submersible.

A juvenile Vampire squid. At this stage of its life, it has yet to attain the elongate arms of an adult, and its body and fins are shorter

At this depth, oxygen levels plummet to far below normal, as nearly all oxygen from above has been consumed by bacteria feeding on organic matter, and oxygen-rich currents flow even deeper still. This leaves an in-between area known scientifically as an oxygen minimum zone (OMZ), or “shadow zone”. As oxygen is essential to life, few creatures are capable of surviving here, and this shadow zone is a barren, empty place, even in comparison with the rest of the deep. Few advanced life forms are capable of surviving here, but the Vampire squid is found almost no-where else.

Adrift in a vast, empty expanse, a Vampire squid spreads its arms to unfurl its cloak of skin. This membrane is primarily used as a net for capturing food, be it detritus or small invertebrates

So, how does Vampyroteuthis survive in a place where so few animals can? The answer is in its body plan, which is radically different from any other living cephalopod and designed to maximize their usage of the minimal resources available. The blood of a Vampire squid is not red, but a deep inky blue. The red pigment in human blood comes from hemoglobin, our oxygen-binding molecule. Vampire squids do not have hemoglobin in their blood, but hemocyanin. While hemoglobin is bonded to blood cells, hemocyanin drifts directly within the hemolymph (the invertebrate equivalent of plasmic blood), which increases its efficiency astronomically. No other cephalopod possesses such a concentration of hemocyanin, and this together with the Vampire squid’s enormous and highly-absorbent gills allows it to survive in water with oxygen saturation as low as 3%!

Breathing in water that would choke other life is just grand, but oxygen isn’t everything. Animals need food to survive, and while the Vampire squid can cope with life in the shadow zone, few other animals can. This scarcity of available food poses another very real challenge, but it is one that the Vampire squid is well-equipped to deal with. In order conserve energy, its metabolic rate is the lowest of any other deep-sea cephalopod, so they can make the most of every calorie they gain from prey. This also means that the Vampire squid is generally very sluggish, hanging motionless in the water or drifting along with lazy flaps of its rear fins.

Despite its fearsome appearance, the Vampire squid poses no threat to humans. One of the feeding tendrils can be seen in this image, extended to search for food

Because they do not move with speed a great deal, the muscles of Vampyroteuthis are weak and gelatinous. This would appear to be a problem, and until recently science believed the same. But encounters with living Vampire squids have proven otherwise. Despite their flabby appearance, the Vampire squid is able to move with remarkable precision and agility and can maintain its buoyancy without any apparent effort. Examination of its body revealed why; a Vampire squid’s tissue contains high levels of ammonia, which mimic the density of seawater. Its body also contains a highly-developed statocyst, an organ similar to a human’s inner ear that contains a small lump of mineralized deposits and numerous sensitive hairs to detect its position and orientation. This allows the Vampire squid to move with grace and elegance belying its appearance.

Vampire squids feed primarily on marine snow, particles of organic waste suspended in water, which they gather using extendable filaments, ball up with mucus, and pass into their mouths using the pliable tooth-like projections lining their arms. These structures, called cirri, may appear imposing, but are actually too soft and fleshy to be used as weapons. As well as scavenging, Vampyroteuthis is also a predator of small invertebrates such as copepods and isopods. When a filament makes contact with a living meal, the squid’s behavior changes, and it begins moving with greater speed and agility as it circles the target. After gauging the distance, the squid darts forward, enveloping the hapless victim in the cloak-like folds of webbing stretched between its arms. Once inside, the prey is passed by the cirri to the squid’s concealed beak and devoured.

An intimidating sight as a Vampire squid flares its arms to display its cirra. Though they may appear sharp, these appendages are more akin to fingers than actual teeth

The Vampire squid, like all creatures, must also avoid becoming food itself. Although it is one of the few advanced life forms in the shadow zones, it is not the only one, and visitors from other depths sometimes make brief forays that can end disastrously for an unsuspecting squid. Many deep-sea creatures are equipped with elaborate defenses, but the Vampire squid has taken the art of predator deterrence to a new level.

Sensing a threat, this vampire squid begins retracting its sensory tendril as its arms start to curl back over itself. The two white patches just before its fins are photoreceptors, a form of primitive light-sensing eye

Unlike many shallow-water cephalopods, Vampyroteuthis does not have an ink sac or the ability to change color. However, the tips of its tentacles and two large, circular patches on the rear of its body contain colonies of bacteria that produce light when flushed with oxygen, a phenomenon called bioluminescence. These special light-producing centers are known as photophores, and they are common in many deep-sea creatures. When a Vampire squid is threatened, it throws its arms back to draw the mantle of skin connecting them up over its body like a cloak while baring its cirri, suddenly appearing to change shape from a simple squid to a massive, billowing mass with rows of spike-like teeth. At the same time, its tentacles flash brilliantly, while the photophores on its body begin glowing and take on the appearance of eyes, distracting attention away from its real head.

With its arms curled back, the squid's mantle conceals its vulnerable head. The large circles are not eyes, but photophores that serve as decoys which the squid can expand and contract at will

This sudden and frightening display can be enough to deter many attackers. Such a transformation is quite unnerving, and since the Vampire squid continues to flail and writhe its arms about, an attacker will find it hard to pick a target. This gives the squid the chance to flee, and it makes good use of it. Surprisingly, it can sprint at considerable speeds, up to two body lengths per second, using a combination of fin-beating, jet-propulsion, and pulsations of its cloak, though it can only do so for about five seconds. 

A frontal view of a Vampire squid in the midst of its threat display, a posture some call the "pineapple". Faced with such a fearsome sight, many predators will quickly back down

However, if a predator is not put off, the Vampire squid has another defense. When bumped by a persistent attacker the squid actually releases clouds of phosphorescent mucus strewn through with clumps of luminescent bacteria from its tentacles into the surrounding water, creating a pyrotechnic display can last for several minutes. Some predators will be frightened off by the flashes of light and seek to avoid having any of the slime adhere to their own bodies. Others will attack the clouds, mistaking them for potential food. In either case, the attacker’s attention is diverted, and the Vampire squid slips away unseen.

Only in total darkness, without artificial lighting, can the true spectacle of the Vampire squid's luminescent defense be appreciated. Waving in the gloom, its tentacles distract and confuse attackers, while its eyespots seem to glare menacingly

Most of what we know about Vampire squids is based around examinations of dead specimens and brief encounters with living individuals. However, there is only so much a corpse can tell, and a disturbed squid rarely sticks around for long. Because of this, much of the behavior of the Vampire squid remains a mystery. We can only guess as to how they attract mates, or where they lay their eggs. But what little we do know paints a fascinating picture of an animal so bizarre, so alien, that it is hard to believe it is even from our world.

An enigma that may never be fully understood, the Vampire squid seems oddly at home in the alien world of the deep see, a place so close and yet so far out of reach to most humans

The oceans are vast, covering over seventy percent of our planet, and in total they make up more than ninety-five percent of all inhabitable space on earth. Yet we have barely scratched the surface of their exploration. Less than one percent of the ocean has been mapped and explored, and new species are discovered with every dive to the depths. With so much left unexplored, who knows what may still lurk in the depths, waiting to be discovered?

Only time will tell…

A picture of grace and elegance, the Vampire squid hovers effortlessly in the expanse, perfectly posed in the lights of a sub for a perfect shot