#vampyromorphida

[dailycephalopods]

Daily Cephalopod #219

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

No need for wooden stakes and garlic around the vampire squid! Neither vampire nor squid, Vampyroteuthis infernalis is the only member of the Vampyromorphida order, which is completely separate from that of squids, octopi, or cuttlefish. What's more, they have no appetite for blood; instead they feed mainly on detritus collected through fine filament filters.

(Image: A vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) by MBARI)

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Cephalopoda - Vampyromorphida

(Source)

Order: Vampyromorphida

Common Name: “Vampire Squid”

Family: Vampyroteuthidae

One living species: Vampire Squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis)

Anatomy: reduced internal shell; eight arms lined with spines, contained within a fleshy web; only the tips of the arms have suckers; two pouches in the webbing contain tactile velar filaments; small fins projecting from the lateral sides of the mantle; almost entirely covered in light-producing photophores; colour varies from velvety jet-black to pale reddish

Size: 15 cm (5.9 in) long body; maximum total length (includes arms) around 30 cm (1 ft)

Diet: mainly marine snow (detritus) and crustaceans, large adults may take fish opportunistically

Habitat/Range: extreme deep sea of the tropics and subtropics, depths from 600 to 900 metres (2,000 to 3,000 ft) or more (oxygen minimum zone)

Evolved in: Jurassic

Conservation Status: unknown, but may be at risk from microplastic pollution due to diet of marine snow

Is this one of your favorite animals?

This is one of my favorite animals

I love this animal

I like this animal

I am neutral about this animal

I dislike this animal

Voting ended onJun 4, 2025

Propaganda under the cut:

The Vampire Squid has the largest eyes in the animal kingdom, proportionately, with a 6 inch (15 cm) body possessing eyes 2.5 cm (1 in) in diameter. Their large eyes are accompanied by similarly expanded optic lobes of their brain. This allows the Vampire Squid to detect distant bioluminescence: signs of animals, such as prey aggregations or potential mates.

The Vampire Squid lives in a discrete habitat known as the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). Within an OMZ, the saturation of oxygen is too low to support aerobic metabolism in most complex organisms. The Vampire Squid is the only cephalopod able to live its entire life cycle in the minimum zone, at oxygen saturations as low as 3%. To cope with life in the suffocating depths, Vampire Squids have developed several adaptations: the lowest mass-specific metabolic rate of all deep-sea cephalopods, hemocyanin within their blood that binds and transports oxygen more efficiently than in other cephalopods, gills possessing an especially large surface area, weak musculature and a reduced shell, and ammonium-rich gelatinous tissues closely matching the density of the surrounding seawater. Living in an OMZ keeps the Vampire Squid safe from many large, apex predators.

If disturbed, the Vampire Squid will curl its arms up outwards and wrap them around its body, turning itself “inside-out”, making itself seem larger, and exposing the spiny projections on its tentacles (cirri) (see gif above). The underside of its cape is black, concealing most of the body's photophores. The glowing arm tips are clustered together far above the animal's head, diverting attack away from critical areas. This anti-predator behavior is dubbed the "pumpkin" or "pineapple" posture. The armtips regenerate, so if they are bitten off, they can serve as a diversion allowing the animal to escape while its predator is distracted.

Like many deep-sea cephalopods, the Vampire Squid lacks ink, but if highly agitated, it may shed a sticky cloud of bioluminescent mucus containing orbs of blue light from its arm tips. This luminous barrage, which may last nearly 10 minutes, serves to dazzle would-be predators and allows the vampire squid to disappear into the dark without the need to swim far. The glowing mucus is also able to stick to the predator, making it more vulnerable to other predators and visible to other prey. The display is made only if the Vampire Squid is very agitated, due to the metabolic cost of mucus regeneration.

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

Could i request my beloved Vampyroteuthis infernalis aka the Vampire Squid? It has big ol eyes and a cloak filled with teeth >:]

Absolutely!

Have you seen the vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis)?

I have now

Yes, in photos/videos

Yes, irl

I'm not sure

Voting ended onApr 4, 2025

Photos taken by MBARI!

[taxonomytournament]

Taxonomy Tournament: Cephalopods

Octopoda. This order is made up of octopuses, predatory marine creatures with eight limbs. Their soft body allows them to squeeze trhough small spaces. They are capable of camouflage and are among the most intelligent animals.

Vampyromorphida. This order is made up of the vampire squid, a deep sea creature capable of surviving in low oxygen conditions.

Which clade of animals is better?

Octopoda

Vampyromorphida

Show results

Voting ended onJan 29, 2024

[geepods]

hey man you should totally tell us about a cephalopod

Wow I thought you'd NEVER ask this is such a shock !!

.. in all honesty this is gonna be really long so just prepare, I'm really passionate ..

I've been researching the Vampyromorphida (the order Vampire squids belong to) since they're my favorite cephalopods, the order is broader than I think people realize and it's so beautiful, let me share some amazing things I've found in the family Vampyromorphida !! :3

1. Necroteuthis ☆\\ - not a ton is known about it, but I tried my best to research because of its honesty really awesome name ,, the fossil is 30 million years old and was originally thought as a squid, until further research registered it was a genus of Vampyromorphida. A study from February 2021 explains the fossil of this animal patched a bridge in the Vampyromorphida family of about 120 million years; also having evidence of Vampyromorphidas oxygen-deficient tendencies due to their oxygen-depleted living environment!! (the fossil is very cool, you can definitely see the resemblance to current living vampire squids!!)

2. Vampyronassa ☆\\ - known from about 20 different fossils, the Vampyronassa (its common name being Vampire fish trap) was alive around the same time modern Vampire Squids appeared (middle Jurassic) but have many differences. Vampyronassa is noticeably smaller in size,, measuring around 3.9in, it does not have webbing inbetween it's arms like the Vampire Squid, instead having two longer arms in the front of their body and having a more extended mantle. Unlike modern Vampire Squids it's assumed it was a very active predator. I think they're absolutely fascinating!! A study done in June 2022 revealed there was a fossil with soft tissue preserved, which is rare in fossils already, but especially with soft bodied animals like most Cephalopods.

There are a few more apart of Vampyromorphida, but not enough info is known for it to be worth writing something. These are absolutely fascinating however!!

I would add more, but I feel this is too long.. if anyone else would like info about any other cephalopods, please let me know!! I definitely have a good handful I could talk about !!! (Also so sorry for getting to you so late, i had school lmao)

[extinctworld-ua]

Vampyronassa

Vampyronassa — рід вимерлих головоногих молюсків-вампіроморфів, описаний у 2002 році та відомий приблизно з 20 скам’янілостей з нижнього келовея (середня юра, 165–164 млн років) в Ла-Вульт-сюр-Рон, Ардеш, Франція. Цей таксон відрізняється від сучасного пекельного вампіра (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) тим, що мав довші перші спинні щупальці, більший сифон і довшу мантію. Типовий вид – Vampyronassa rhodanica («вампір…

Повний текст на сайті "Вимерлий світ":

https://extinctworld.in.ua/vampyronassa/

[histskins]

vampyromorphida replied to your post: BEES?

“the b in lgbt stands for BEES?”

the sweet continuation of the fact that me loving this series is all yr fault