Vampire squid: detritivores in the oxygen minimum zone

Vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) are considered phylogenetic relics with cephalopod features of both octopods and squids. They lack feeding tentacles, but in addition to their eight arms, they have two retractile filaments, the exact functions of which have puzzled scientists for years. We...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2012-11, Vol.279 (1747), p.4559-4567
Main Authors: Hoving, Hendrik J. T., Robison, Bruce H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Physiological
Animals
Arm
Bacillariophyceae
Cell aggregates
Cephalopoda
Cephalopods
Crustaceans
Detritus
Feeding
Feeding Behavior
Food
Mucus
Octopodiformes - anatomy & histology
Octopodiformes - metabolism
Octopodiformes - physiology
Oxygen
Oxygen - metabolism
Oxygen Minimum Zone
Specimens
Squid
Vampires
Vampyroteuthis
Vampyroteuthis infernalis
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Summary:Vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) are considered phylogenetic relics with cephalopod features of both octopods and squids. They lack feeding tentacles, but in addition to their eight arms, they have two retractile filaments, the exact functions of which have puzzled scientists for years. We present the results of investigations on the feeding ecology and behaviour of Vampyroteuthis, which include extensive in situ, deep-sea video recordings from MBARI's remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), laboratory feeding experiments, diet studies and morphological examinations of the retractile filaments, the arm suckers and cirri. Vampire squid were found to feed on detrital matter of various sizes, from small particles to larger marine aggregates. Ingested items included the remains of gelatinous zooplankton, discarded larvacean houses, crustacean remains, diatoms and faecal pellets. Both ROV observations and laboratory experiments led to the conclusion that vampire squid use their retractile filaments for the capture of food, supporting the hypothesis that the filaments are homologous to cephalopod arms. Vampyroteuthis' feeding behaviour is unlike any other cephalopod, and reveals a unique adaptation that allows these animals to spend most of their life at depths where oxygen concentrations are very low, but where predators are few and typical cephalopod food is scarce.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2945
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.2012.1357