The Vampire Squid from Hell

Yes, it is Vampyroteuthis Infernalis which translates to "Vampire Squid from Hell". When threatened, the Vampire Squid can literally turn itself inside out to reveal a defensive set of threatening spikes as seen in this gif made by Meme Guy from a Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute video:

Bruce Robison, the resident expert on Vampire Squids at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) gives us a good introduction to this fascinating creature in this video produced by the Science Friday YouTube Channel:

The Animals Network has put together a concise page of what is currently known about this mysterious denizen of the deepest depths - as far as 3,000 ft. below sea level and more!

Animals Network: Vampire Squid

For years marine biologists have puzzled over what the mysterious vampire squid eats. Recent research by Henk-Jan Hoving and Bruce Robison at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) finally reveals the answer. These deep-sea creatures use long, retractile filaments to passively harvest particles and aggregates of detritus, or marine snow, sinking from the waters above. This feeding strategy, unknown in any other cephalopod (this group of animals includes squid and octopods), allows vampire squid to thrive in the oxygen minimum zone where there are few predators but marine detritus is abundant:

 MBARI:  What the Vampire Squid Really Eats

On the Smithsonian Ocean Portal family tree of cephalopods you can see the Vampire Squid has its own unique branch:

Smithsonian Ocean: Cephalopods

One of the most fascinating and comprehensive web pages on the vampire squid is provided by the Tree of Life Web Project:

Tree of Life Web Project: The Vampire Squid

Nautilus Live had an exciting close encounter with a vampire squid:

 Almost a mile deep off Socorro Island, we had an extended visit with a Vampyroteuthis infernalis--literally meaning "vampire squid from hell." Neither squid nor octopus, this fierce-sounding cephalopod actually reels in specks of marine snow using two retractable filaments and mucus-covered suckers! 

This close encounter was captured with both our normal ROV Hercules HD camera and a low light camera for bioluminescence designed by Dr. Brennan Phillips at University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography and David Gruber at the City College of New York/Baruch College.

Close Encounter With a Vampire Squid 

 

 

The Legendary Giant Squid

The giant squid emerges from the realm of myth and legend as the fearsome KRAKEN:

 
It is only recently that live giant squids were filmed:

Giant Squid Caught on Tape for First Time for Discovery Channel's  

Monster Squid: The Giant Is Real

Washington Post June 23, 2019: 
Scientists captured video of a giant squid

The giant squid is an invertebrate (spineless creature) and is the largest member of the Cephalopod family.  The amazing Smithsonian Ocean website provides a family tree as well lots of other fascinating information about cephalopods:

Smithsonian Ocean: Cephalopods

The cephalopods are a diverse class of mollusks. Today, scientists divide the living cephalopods into three groups, called superorders. Many details of cephalopod evolutionary classification continue to change as scientists find new clues from genetic testing and newly discovered fossils. (Created by Ashley Gallagher for the Ocean Portal)

The Smithsonian Ocean Portal also provides a fascinating and informative page on the giant squid:

 The Giant Squid

 

This female giant squid is the larger of two on display in the Smithsonian's Sant Ocean Hall. (Don Hurlbert/Smithsonian Institution

The Museum of New Zealand - Te Papa Tongarewa provides a great page on...

The difference between colossal squid, giant squid, and octopus 

Mental Floss provides...

20 Freaky Facts About the Giant Squid 

The Amazing and Mysterious Octopus

An octopus in an aquarium in Brest, France. The animals are highly intelligent, but researchers are uncertain how the trait evolved. CreditCreditFred Tanneau/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The octopus is an invertebrate (spineless creature) and belongs to the Cephalopod family.  The amazing Smithsonian Ocean Portal provides a family tree as well lots of other fascinating information about cephalopods:

Smithsonian Ocean: Cephalopods

The cephalopods are a diverse class of mollusks. Today, scientists divide the living cephalopods into three groups, called superorders. Many details of cephalopod evolutionary classification continue to change as scientists find new clues from genetic testing and newly discovered fossils. (Created by Ashley Gallagher for the Ocean Portal)

Cephalopods have been around for a VERY long time and have been among the dominant large predators in the ocean before they became every animals favorite dish.  The Earth Archives provides a good look at...

500 Million Years of Cephalopod Fossils

Animalogic provides a good introduction to the octopus as well as explaining what makes them...

The World’s Greatest Escape Artists

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10 reasons why the octopus is one of the most incredible creatures in the sea:

The National Aquarium provides this helpful infographic:

  

The octopus makes a good mother as reported by Pang Quong:   In Port Phillip Bay during October, one of our small octopus(Octopus pallidus) lay their eggs in small caves ,bottle or old tyres. The female stays with her eggs until they all hatch. Over about 3 weeks I checked the progress of one female and her eggs:

It was long assumed that the octopus was a solitary, antisocial creature, until the recent discovery of two octopus "cities":  Octlantis and Octopolis:

 Octlantis is a just-discovered underwater city engineered by octopuses

The gloomy octopus, lonely no more in Octlantis.

Why octopuses are building small “cities” off the coast of Australia

A map of Octlantis, the second settlement of gloomy octopuses found off the coast of Australia. About 10 to 15 octopuses live here, in mounds of shells that have been constructed over generations.

'Octlantis': Bustling Octopus Community Discovered Off Australia

One of the most comprehensive web pages on the octopus can be found at ourmarinespecies.com:

Octopuses: Characteristics, habitats, reproduction and more

The Daily Catch: An Octopus has 3 Hearts, 9 Brains & Blue Blood


The nine brains of the octopus all add up to a considerable intelligence:

New York Times: Yes, the Octopus Is Smart as Heck. But Why?

 Coconut Carrying Octopus

Scientific American: The Mind of an Octopus 

Credit: HENRIK SORENSEN Getty Images

The New Yorker: Why Not Eat Octopus?


And one (or rather eight!) of the most fascinating things about the octopus:  their tentacles, each one of which has its own mini-brain!

Credit:  Kelly Murphy Illustration

Sputnick News: Octopus’ All-Mighty Tentacles May Shed Light on Extra-Terrestrial Life 

Researchers model how octopus arms make decisions 

Cosmos: How the octopus got its smarts

Visit our other two octopus posts:  The Legendary Giant Squid
The Vampire Squid From Hell