Nature Atlas

How Nature Works
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Species

Vampire Squid

Mollusks

Citation Formats

General Reference

APA Style

BibTeX

The vampire squid is a small cephalopod found throughout temperate and tropical oceans in extreme deep-sea conditions, using bioluminescent organs and a unique oxygen metabolism to thrive in waters with the lowest oxygen concentrations. It carries two long retractile filaments between the first two pairs of arms on its dorsal side that distinguish it from both octopuses and squids, though its closest living relatives are octopuses, and as a phylogenetic relict it is the only known surviving member of the order Vampyromorphida.

Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.

View At A Past Year

The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.