Vampire squid is a deep-sea animal related to octopuses and squids. It has eight arms connected by webbing and is reddish to purplish-black in color, depending on the light. The vampire squid usually lives at depths of about 2,000 to 6,500 feet (600 to 2,000 meters).
The main part of the vampire squid’s body is enclosed by a tubelike structure called the mantle. The animal uses fins on either side of the mantle to swim. It also can swim by squeezing water through a funnel, a form of jet propulsion. The vampire squid’s long arms have relatively few suckers but many small, fingerlike projections called cirri. The vampire squid also has two threadlike filaments that can extend from the mantle. They likely help it to collect food and possibly detect prey and predators (hunting animals). The body of an adult usually reaches about 5 inches (13 centimeters) long. The arms can extend another 10 inches (25 centimeters).
The vampire squid has large eyes that appear red or blue, depending on the light. The name vampire squid was partly inspired by the animal’s eyes and dark color. Also, its webbed arms resemble the cloak worn by some vampires in fiction.
Little or no sunlight reaches the depths where the vampire squid lives. However, the animal can produce its own light, an ability called bioluminescence. Its arm tips can give off a cloud of microscopic, glowing particles. Small organs on the arm tips and other parts of the body also produce light. Two larger light organs on the back of the mantle are covered by moveable flaps. The vampire squid probably uses its light organs to attract prey or startle predators.
The vampire squid can swim quickly over a short distance, but it usually floats motionless. Evidence suggests it feeds mainly on flaky debris that drifts down from surface waters. This debris is composed of decaying bodies, microscopic algae, and other material. The vampire squid may also feed on small prey, such as tiny animals called copepods. It may capture prey by using its webbed arms to envelop the animal.
