13 Oct 2023

Critter of the Week: Vampire Squid

From the collecton Critter of the Week
The vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis).

The vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis). Photo: SUPPLIED

The vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) might sound scary, but it's more like a soft-bodied floating Christmas tree than a blood-sucking creature of the night.

This deep-sea creature has some out-of-the-box defensive strategies: it shoots a cloud of glowing mucus to disarm its predators and tries to camouflage itself by turning itself into a pineapple.

Nicola Toki joins Jesse to teach us about this not-so terrifying creature.