Tipping Point, Vampire Squid

Despite its name, vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) are passive in nature, soft-bodied, and can grow up to 30 cm. This creature got its name from its dark red body, cape-like webbed tentacles, and huge piercing blue eyes. They live in the mesopelagic zone (200-1,000 meters below the ocean’s surface) where there is almost no oxygen. To preserve energy, it floats and drifts through the ocean rather than actively swimming. Vampire squid also have low metabolism, they are the only known cephalopod that does not catch and eat live animals for food. When vampire squid are threatened, they turn inside out exposing their cirri, which are spine-like projections from their tentacles that look like teeth. Unlike their cephalopod relatives, vampire squid do not have an ink sac, and instead produce clouds of bioluminescent mucus from the tips of their tentacles to confuse their predators and give them a chance to escape.

Tipping Point, Vampire Squid, 2022, plexiglass, wood base, 24 x 24 x 24", Original image courtesy of Schmidt Ocean Institute