Vampire Squid
Vampyroteuthis infernalis Chun, 1903
Plates and text by Firoiu Dan Nicolae
Usually found at 600–1,200 m. From Glowing Oceans: An Atlas of Glowing Living Forms, where every creature has two facing pages: what is known on the left, the full plate on the right.
Three facts
They fly through water with ears
Unlike shallow-water squids that blast water from a siphon, the adult vampire squid drifts gracefully through the deep on two large, ear-like fins on its mantle, flapping them like an elephant’s ears.
They turn inside out to make a shield
When threatened, it pulls its webbed arms back over its body, exposing the dark inner lining. Rows of soft, spine-like cirri then point outwards, so the squid looks like a spiky, pineapple- shaped cage.
They shoot glowing neon fire
Instead of black ink, which is useless in darkness, it releases a sticky cloud of glowing mucus from its arm tips. The cloud sparkles with tiny blue lights that dazzle a predator while the squid slips away into the black.
Field notes
| Range | Tropical & temperate oceans, 44°N–35°S |
|---|---|
| Depth | 100–3,000 m, usually 600–1,200 m |
| Size | Up to 30 cm long; body to 13 cm |
| Breeding | Spawns many times over its life |
| Colour | Jet-black to deep velvet red |
| Diet | Marine snow, detritus, fecal pellets |
| Order | Vampyromorpha; its only living species |
| Habitat | The low-oxygen “oxygen minimum zone” |
The plates are artistic interpretations and do not show the true colours of the living animal. Every measurement has a source, printed at the back of the book.
More plates
Where it lives
The vampire squid is usually found at 600–1,200 m, in the twilight and midnight zones: the layer where only a faint blue dusk remains. It has been recorded from 100–3,000 m, across the sunlit, twilight and midnight zones. Its range: Tropical & temperate oceans, 44°N–35°S.
Below about 200 metres only a blue dusk remains, and below a thousand metres sunlight is gone altogether. Every creature in Glowing Oceans carries the same depth sign, so you can see at a glance how deep it lives compared with the others.
In the book
In the book, the vampire squid is creature no. 31 of 101. It belongs to family IV, Pulsing Parasols & Domes: bells and cloaks that open and close, the jellies and the vampire squid. The families are grouped by shape, not by family tree, so the book reads as a gallery.
Its two pages hold three facts written to be read aloud, the field notes, a life-size view, a map of its range, and dials for its glow, water temperature and pressure. Every fact is traced to a source printed at the back of the book.
Related creatures
Author and artist of Glowing Oceans and the Glowing Series. He wrote the book’s text, drew its 303 plates, and designs the exhibitions that grow out of it.
More about Firoiu Dan Nicolae →