Fish of the Day 38 - I got that vampire in me

Today’s fish of the day is the vampire squid! I meant to post this on halloween, but whatever. At least the marine snow in the picture is fitting for december.

Vampire squid facts:

- The vampire squid isn’t even a squid, it’s more closely related to the octopus. Does anyone else notice how common it is, how animals have misleading names?

- Underneath the webbed skin that connects the vampire squid’s tentacles, there are sharp spikes. They don’t use these spikes to drain and drink the blood of unlucky sea creatures, but it’s rather a form of self defense. When a predator approaches, they’ll raise their tentacles over their head, which reveals the many rows of previously hidden spikes. This makes them look both bigger and alot less appetizing. It looks like this!

- This sea creature really isn’t as intimidating as the name suggests. They don’t even hunt other fish (unless you count zooplankton) - they’re scavengers! This is especially relevant because, as of now, they are the only member of the cephalopod family to be known as a scavenger and not a hunter. Their diet consists of marine snow and other organic things like rotting flesh, mucus, and even the excrements of other animals.

- They find food by using a sticky mucus on their limbs to catch floating particles, and then they proceed to completely cover it in more mucus and eat it. What on earth!!

- The vampire squid’s beautiful eyes are certainly a standout feature. They are among the sea creatures with the biggest eye to body ratio. Their eyes may appear blue in images, but in real life, they’re actually see-through!

- Unlike many cephalopods, these creatures cannot produce ink. However, they can create a similar, clear substance that contains bioluminescent chemicals which can confuse predators. 

Do you got that vampire squid in you? This is unrelated but I'm really sad because vampire squid don’t live in the twilight zone,,, it would’ve been perfect