Fauna, Scuba News, Underwater Environment

Hell's vampire filmed in the Gulf of Mexico

Listen to this article A day like any other in the work of a marine researcher. You are sitting with your colleagues behind the ROV control panel, searching and filming the sea depths, until suddenly… a real rarity appears in front of the camera lens – the Vampyroteuthis infernalis. The observation was documented by the

ByMałgorzata Brykała

Published: July 24, 2014 - 14:19

Updated: July 22, 2023 - 07:39

Hell’s vampire filmed in the Gulf of Mexico

Listen to this article

A day like any other in the work of a marine researcher. You are sitting with your colleagues behind the ROV control panel, searching and filming the sea depths, until suddenly… a real rarity appears in front of the camera lens – the Vampyroteuthis infernalis.

-- Advertisement --

The observation was documented by the EVNautilius crew. In the recorded video footage, we can see how the cephalopod moves slowly and gracefully, taking advantage of the gentle sea current.

The vampyroteuthis is a species of deep-sea cephalopod. Very rare and the only known to science representative of the genus vampyroteuthis and the only modern living representative of the family vampyroteuthidae and the order vampyromorphida.

[ot-video type=”youtube” url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e4PvKK_lMU”]

According to Monterey Bay Aquarium representatives, the hell’s vampire is an ancient species combining features of an octopus and a squid. Despite its name, this creature does not feed on blood, but on plankton and marine carrion.

Living at depths of 2000-3000m, the creature is black in colour with intense red eyes (which probably translated largely into the name). The vampire also has soft white spines and can turn its body inside out.

In addition to the Gulf of Mexico, the species has been found in the Gulf of California in the Sea of Cortez and in Monterey Bay. The recent sighting took place during EVNautilius research on the impact of oil pollution in marine waters.

Source: petethomasoutdoors.com