A Cautious Vampire Squid Shies Away From the Bright Lights of a Camera Aboard a Nautilus ROV

While exploring the waters of Socorro Island off the coast of Mexico during the Revillagigedo Archipelago Dive, a Nautilus Live ROV captured the amazing sight of a very cautious vampire squid who shied away from the bright lights of the camera. The crew turned off the lights and the gorgeous cephalopod relaxed into a resting state, that is, until the camera zoomed in closer.

Almost a mile deep off Socorro Island, we had an extended visit with a Vampyroteuthis infernalis–literally meaning “vampire squid from hell.” Neither squid nor octopus, this fierce-sounding cephalopod actually reels in specks of marine snow using two retractable filaments and mucus-covered suckers!