The Jurassic world of the vampire squid

How these cephalopods survived across two mass extinction events.

When you think Jurassic Park, you probably imagine a chomping T-rex, or even a giant snapping Mosasaurus leaping out of the ocean. But how about vampire squid?

Though it didn’t make the cut into any blockbuster movie, the vampire squid is one of the most mysterious creatures of the ocean, with a single species still alive to this day. The vampire squid Vampyroteuthis infernalis lives in extreme deep-ocean environments that often have little oxygen, feeding on detritus floating around the abyss.

Using modern 3D imaging techniques, exceptionally preserved fossil specimens of an ancient relative, Vampyronassa

rhodanica, have been re-analysed. Unlike the modern-day species, this Jurassic vampire squid revealed it was well adapted to actively hunt, and had suckers that could hold on to its prey.

“Suckers are really useful for the identification of these animals at high taxonomic levels,” says Dr Patrick Smith, one of Australia’s fossil cephalopod experts. “This study gives us a much better resolution of how those suckers were constructed and how they compare to other living and extinct cephalopod groups.”

V. rhodanica lived 164 million years ago, had eight arms and two small fins across their small oval-shaped body of around 10 centimetres in length. Muscular suckers on the tips of two long arms could create a watertight seal, aiding the manipulation and capture of its quarry. It also had conical appendages for sensing prey, indicating it was an active hunter.