Deep relaxation: Spend a few minutes chilling with the vampire squid

Give yourself a moment to breathe deep and take in the enigma that is the vampire squid, Vampyroteuthis infernalis. It’s easy to imagine the vampire squid as a nightmarish predator. It lurks in the eternal midnight of the deep sea, has a dark red body, huge blue eyes, and a cloak-like web that stretches between its eight arms. When threatened, it turns inside out, exposing rows of wicked-looking “cirri.” Even its scientific name, Vampyroteuthis infernalis, means “vampire squid from hell.” In reality, the vampire squid is a soft-bodied, passive creature, about the size, shape, and color of a football. A “living fossil,” it inhabits the deep waters of all the world’s ocean basins at depths where there is almost no oxygen, but also relatively few predators. Learn more about the vampire squid and other iconic deep-sea animals on our Creature feature page: https://www.mbari.org/products/creatu... Video production team: Madison Pobis, Kyra Schlining, Susan von Thun Video editor: Madison Pobis Guided mediation: Susan von Thun Follow MBARI on social media: Facebook:   / mbarinews   Twitter:   / mbari_news   Instagram:   / mbari_news   Tumblr:   / mbari-blog   LinkdIn:   / monterey-bay-aquarium-research-institute-m...