Vampire squid have eight arms but lack feeding tentacles (like octopods), and instead use two retractile filaments in order to capture food. These filaments have small hairs on them, made up of many …

It sits alone in phylum Mollusca as the only living member of the family Vampyroteuthidae. In fact, the vampire squid has a history of misclassification. When it was discovered in 1903, it was classified as …

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 …

The vampire squid is a fascinating twig tenaciously hanging onto the cephalopod family tree. It's neither a squid nor an octopus (nor a vampire), but rather the last, lone remnant of an ancient lineage whose …

Vampire squid have black chromatophores interspersed with reddish-brown ones. They do not function like the chromatophores in true squid because this species does not have the muscles that control …

This “vampire” is a harmless scavenger. Marine snow is on the menu for this cephalopod. Two thin, sticky tentacles collect drifting bits of dead plankton, poop, mucus, and other organic material sinking …

Dec 1, 2025 · Scientists have sequenced the genome of the elusive “vampire squid from hell” for the first time, providing insights into the origin of cephalopods like octopuses.

Sep 18, 2025 · The vampire squid looks a little bit like a squid and a little bit like an octopus. It has a soft, jelly-like body that moves through the water with the help of eight tentacles; the tentacles end in …

The vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis, lit. 'vampire squid from hell') is a small cephalopod found throughout temperate and tropical oceans in extreme deep sea conditions.

Despite its name and similar appearance to a squid or an octopus, the vampire squid is actually neither of the two. It’s a cephalopod that’s found at deep-sea, and is the only surviving species in its order …