December 4, 2009 at 7:06pm Comments
October 29, 2009 at 9:26pm Comments
Photo via National History Museum
Vampire Squid From Hell
The Vampire Squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis, lit. “vampire squid from hell”) is a small, deep-sea cephalopod found throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world. Unique retractile sensory filaments justify the Vampire Squid’s placement in its own order: Vampyromorphida (formerly Vampyromorpha), though it shares similarities with both squid and octopuses. As a phylogenetic relict it is the only known surviving member of its order, first described and mistakenly identified as an octopus in 1903 by German teuthologist Carl Chun. [continued at wikipedia]
The vampire squid from hell. I love it.
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