Vampire squid: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the vampire squid lives – recorded in 2 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Vampyroteuthis infernalis
Group	Octopuses, squid & cuttlefish
Found in	2 countries
Continents	North America, Oceania
Class	Cephalopod
Order	Vampyromorpha
Family	Vampyroteuthidae

Where does the vampire squid live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the vampire squid in 2 countries and territories across North America and Oceania.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the vampire squid?

The vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) is a cephalopod in the order Vampyromorpha and the family Vampyroteuthidae, genus Vampyroteuthis. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the vampire squid

The vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis, lit. 'vampire squid from hell') is a small cephalopod found throughout temperate and tropical oceans in extreme deep sea conditions. The vampire squid uses its bioluminescent organs and its unique oxygen metabolism to thrive in the parts of the ocean with the lowest concentrations of oxygen. It has two long retractile filaments, located between the first two pairs of arms on its dorsal side, which distinguish it from both octopuses and squids, though its closest relatives are octopuses. As a phylogenetic relict, it is the only known surviving member of the order Vampyromorphida.

The first specimens were collected on the Valdivia Expedition and were originally described as an octopus in 1903 by German teuthologist Carl Chun, but later assigned to a new order together with several extinct taxa.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Vampire squid (revision 1379029811), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q2509902 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).