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Scientists Uncover the Genome Sequence of the Vampire Squid

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The genome of the vampire squid (Vampirotutis sp.) is among the largest of any animal, containing over 10 billion base pairs.

The vampire squid (Vampirotutis sp.) is among the deep sea’s most enigmatic creatures. Image credit: Steven Haddock/MBARI.

The vampire squid, often referred to as a “living fossil,” inhabits ocean basins worldwide at depths ranging from 500 to 3,000 meters.

This creature is soft-bodied and has a size, shape, and color reminiscent of a football.

It features a dark red body, large blue eyes, and cloak-like webbing connecting its eight arms.

When threatened, the squid can turn itself inside out, displaying rows of menacing “siri.”

In contrast to other squid species that reproduce in a single event later in life, vampire squids exhibit signs of multiple reproductive cycles.

“Modern cephalopods, including squids, octopuses, and cuttlefish, diverged into two main lineages over 300 million years ago: the 10-armed Decapoda (cuttlefish and cuttlefish) and the eight-armed Octopoda (octopuses and vampire squids),” explained biologist Masaaki Yoshida from Shimane University and his team.

“Despite its name, the vampire squid has eight arms similar to those of an octopus, yet it shares significant genomic characteristics with cuttlefish and cuttlefish.”

“It occupies a unique position between these two lineages, and for the first time, its relationship has been revealed at the chromosomal level through genome analysis.”

“Although classified within the octopus lineage, it retains features of a more ancestral squid-like chromosomal structure, shedding light on the evolutionary history of early cephalopods.”

A recent study sequenced the genome of a vampire squid from specimens gathered in the Western Pacific Ocean.

“With over 11 billion base pairs, the vampire squid’s genome is nearly four times larger than the human genome and represents the largest cephalopod genome analyzed to date,” the researchers noted.

“Despite its vast size, the chromosomes share a surprisingly conserved structure.”

“Thus, Vampirotutis is termed a ‘living fossil of the genome,’ embodying modern-day descendants of ancient lineages that retain essential features from their evolutionary background.”

The study revealed that while modern octopuses have undergone significant chromosome fusions and alterations during evolution, octopuses have managed to preserve some decapod-like karyotypes.

This conserved genome structure provides fresh insights into how cephalopod lineages branched apart.

“Vampire squids exist right on the boundary between octopuses and squids,” commented Dr. Oleg Simakov, a researcher at the University of Vienna.

“The genome unfolds deep evolutionary narratives about how these distinctly different lineages emerged from a shared ancestor.”

By comparing the vampire squid with other sequenced species, including the pelagic octopus Argonauta hians, scientists could trace the trajectory of chromosomal changes throughout evolution.

“The genome sequence of Argonauta hians reveals, for the first time, a ‘bizarre’ pelagic octopus (paper nautilus) where females have secondarily acquired shell-like calcified structures,” the researchers stated.

“The analysis suggests that early coleoids had a squid-like chromosomal organization that subsequently fused and compacted into the modern octopus genome, a process termed mixed fusion.”

“These irreversible rearrangements may have instigated significant morphological innovations, including weapon specialization and the loss of the outer shell.”

“Although the vampire squid is classified among octopuses, it preserves an older genetic lineage than both groups,” added Dr. Emese Todt, a researcher at the University of Vienna.

“This enables us to study the early phases of cephalopod evolution directly.”

“Our research provides the clearest genetic evidence to date indicating that the common ancestor of octopuses and squids was more squid-like than previously recognized.”

“This study underscores that large-scale chromosomal rearrangements, rather than the emergence of new genes, have primarily driven the extraordinary diversity of modern cephalopods.”

The findings are detailed in a study published in the Journal on November 21, 2025 iscience.

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Masaaki Yoshida et al. 2025. The extensive genome of a vampire squid unveils the derived state of modern octopod karyotypes. iscience 28 (11): 113832; doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.113832

Source: www.sci.news

Research: Squid Evolved 100 Million Years Ago and Experienced Rapid Radiation

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Paleontologists have adopted a cutting-edge digital fossil mining technique to examine over 250 fossil beaks from 40 ancient squid species. The findings indicate that there is no prolonged slow-moving change associated with the slower parietal layer, previously linked to the mass extinction event of late white matter around 66 million years ago. Early squid species had already established large populations, surpassing the biomass of both ammonites and fish. They evolved into intelligent and agile swimmers, contributing to modern marine ecosystems.

This lithograph features Loligo Forbesii, a squid species from the order Myopsida. Image credit: Comingio Mercuriano.

Squid are recognized as the most diverse and widely distributed group of marine cephalopods in today’s oceans, serving a crucial role in marine ecosystems as both predators and prey.

Their evolutionary success is generally attributed to the loss of a rigid external shell, a significant characteristic of their parietal ancestors.

Yet, their evolutionary beginnings remain unclear due to the scarcity of fossils from soft-bodied organisms.

The fossil record for squid dates back around 45 million years, with most specimens discovered consisting of fossilized statoris, or small calcium carbonites that assist in balance.

The early absence of such fossils has led to hypotheses that squid diversified following the mass extinctions during the Cretaceous period, approximately 66 million years ago.

Molecular studies of living squid species provide estimates regarding their divergence times; however, these estimates have become increasingly uncertain because of the dearth of prior fossil evidence.

In this recent study, Shin Ikegami, a paleontologist from Hokkaido University, and colleagues addressed these deficiencies using high-resolution grinding tomography and advanced image processing to digitally scan rocks as layered cross-sectional images, effectively revealing hidden 3D models.

This method was applied to Cretaceous carbonate rocks in Japan, resulting in the discovery of 263 fossilized squid beaks from 40 species across 23 genera and five families.

Results indicate that squid emerged around the boundaries of the early and late Cretaceous, roughly 100 million years ago, followed by a rapid diversification.

The authors assert that this newly uncovered fossil record significantly extends the documented origins of the two main squid groups: oegopsida extending back about 15 million years and myopsida extending as far back as 55 million years.

Early oegopsids showcased unique anatomical features that later species lacked, hinting at rapid morphological evolution, whereas Myopsids already displayed modern characteristics.

This study further indicates that late Cretaceous squids were more populous and often larger than their contemporaneous ammonite and bony fish counterparts. This ecological dominance might have triggered the radiation of bony fish and marine mammals roughly 30 million years ago, establishing squid as the first intelligent and agile swimmers that shaped modern marine ecosystems.

“In terms of population and size, these ancient squids were evidently proliferating across the oceans,” stated Dr. Ikenakamoto.

“Their body size rivaled that of fish, often even surpassing the ammonites found alongside them.”

“This demonstrates that squid thrived as the most abundant swimmers in the ancient seas.”

“These discoveries revolutionize our understanding of marine ecosystems in the past,” remarked Dr. Yasuhiro Iba from Hokkaido University.

“Squids were likely the pioneers of fast, intelligent swimmers that dominated the modern ocean.”

Study published in the journal Science.

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Shin Ikegami et al. 2025. The origin and radiation of squid revealed by digital fossil mining. Science E 388 (6754): 1406-1409; doi: 10.1126/science.adu6248

Source: www.sci.news

Inside the Mission Where He Captured His First Video of a Giant Squid

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As it emerged, it was yet another journey into the abyss, cloaked in darkness: mid-water, a delicate, ethereal shape transitioning into another realm.

A remotely operated vehicle, Subathian, recorded the first footage of a giant squid stable in its natural habitat in the southern ocean near Antarctica. The giant squid can grow up to 10 meters (33 feet) in length, making it the heaviest invertebrate on the planet, yet until now, it remained elusive.

This remarkable discovery occurred during a 35-day expedition to the Southern Sandwich Islands, a secluded volcanic arc in the Southern Ocean, aboard the Folcole (too).

The expedition aimed to expedite the discovery of deep-sea species, but nobody anticipated encountering one of the ocean’s most elusive giants.

“We were operating Subathian at a depth of about 2,000 meters that day for trench work,” stated Dr. Michelle Taylor, Chief Scientist of the Expedition and Senior Lecturer at Essex University, as reported by BBC Science Focus.

While Subathian navigated through the cerulean waters, we remained in the control room, surrounded by high-resolution cameras and screens displaying sensor data from the vehicle. A group of scientists observed intently as we monitored the water column.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzpog9h8hlo

On March 9th, at a depth of approximately 600 meters (nearly 2,000 feet), the pilot spotted something and began to hover.

“None of us aboard were squid specialists, but we quickly recognized it as a stunning glass squid,” Taylor recounted. “We documented it for about three minutes before resuming our mission to explore the ocean floor.”

The giant squid is among the planet’s most enigmatic creatures. Until now, they had only been seen as dead specimens—either accidentally caught by fishing boats or found in a whale’s stomach. Documenting a living specimen is akin to discovering a unicorn in marine biology.

Furthermore, the squid was not yet fully grown. “It was a juvenile,” Taylor explained. “It lacked some physical features of adult squid, but it was definitely not fully developed. Its size was quite modest for a giant squid.”

Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Subathian is recovered by research vessel Folcole after another successful mission to explore the depths of the ocean – Alex Ingle/Schmidt Ocean Institute

The footage streamed live on YouTube during the dive was initially flagged by audience members.

Taylor consulted with Dr. Kat Bolstad, a cephalopod expert at Auckland Institute of Technology, along with other colleagues, who confirmed their identification with the aid of the 4K video footage captured during the dive.

Telltale clues included a distinctive hook along the squid’s arm.

“[Knowing it’s a colossal squid], I find it both beautiful and extraordinary,” Taylor remarked.

While the giant squid garnered headlines, it was not the singular highlight of the Folcole (too) expedition. About a month ago, researchers also captured the first in situ footage of a glacial glass squid.

Both sightings resulted from lengthy, meticulous dives conducted by Subathian, which can descend up to 4,500 meters (3 miles), enhancing the role of “telepresence” in scientific exploration.

This is the first confirmed footage of a glacier glass squid captured in January – Rov Subathian/Schmidt Ocean Institute

“It’s a new milestone, bringing the world into the deep sea in ways that were once impossible,” Taylor states. “Science enthusiasts and the general public can engage directly with our findings, often possessing extensive knowledge about what we observe.”

Taylor emphasizes that the mission’s deeper purpose transcends mere discovery; it aims to enhance the understanding and protection of deep-sea life.

“This is the last frontier,” she emphasizes. “It’s perplexing why we pursue other planets when we barely comprehend our own oceans.”

The Ocean Census seeks to expedite the discovery of new species, yet this process remains painstakingly slow. Often, it takes over a decade from specimen collection to formal recognition.

In its initial years, the project has already documented more than 800 new species, focusing on uncharted areas and fostering collaboration with a global network of taxonomists.

The sighting of the giant squid may have been serendipitous, but for Taylor, it marks merely the beginning.

“There is still much left to discover,” she asserts.

About our experts

Michelle Taylor is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Essex. Her research focuses on the deep sea and its diverse habitats. As the lead investigator of the Ocean Census, she headed the Japan Foundation-Necton Marine Census team on the South Sandwich Islands expedition.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

The Giant Squid Captured on Film for the First Time at a Live Show

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Boy Giant squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) filmed vividly in the environment by a team of marine biologists aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor (Too) in waters off the Southern Sandwich Islands.

Giant squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) in its natural habitat. Image credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute.

Also known as the Antarctic Crunch Squid or Giant Squid, the Giant Squid is a member of the Glass Squid Family Cranchiidae.

The species can be up to 10-14 m long and weighs up to 500-700 kg, making it the heaviest invertebrate on the planet.

Little is known about their life cycle, but in the end they lose the see-through look of the boy.

Dr. Kat Bolstad, a researcher at Auckland Institute of Technology, said:

“For 100 years, prey remains in the stomachs of whales and seabirds, and we mostly encountered them as harvested teeth predators.”

A giant squid with a long 30 cm larvae was videotaped at a depth of 600 m by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Subathian March 9, 2025.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzpog9h8hlo

“It’s incredible that we can leverage the power of taxonomic communities. R/V Falkor (Too) “The University of Essex researcher, Dr. Michelle Taylor, and the expedition chief scientist, said:

Furthermore, on January 25th, 2025, the previous team Folcole (too) Photographed by the expedition First confirmed video of Glacier glass squid (Galiteuthis glacialis) in the South Ocean near Antarctica.

Galiteuthis glacialis is another glass squid species that has never been seen lively in natural environments before.

“One of the most distinctive features of the giant squid is the presence of a hook in the center of the eight arms. Galiteuthis glacialis said Dr. Aaron Evans, an independent expert in the glass squid family.

“If not, then the boy’s giant squid and Galiteuthis glacialis It is similar, with a transparent body and sharp hook at the end of two long tentacles. ”

Dr. Jyoticavilmani, executive director of Schmidt Ocean Institute, said:

“Fortunately, we caught a high-resolution image of these creatures so that world experts who weren’t on board could identify both species.”

Source: www.sci.news

A Giant Squid Captured on Video for the First Time Swimming Almost 2,000 Feet Below the Ocean’s Surface

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The giant squid, the world’s heaviest invertebrate, was captured in a video of itself swimming in the deep sea for the first time since it was identified a century ago.

The video was recorded on March 9th The Schmidt Ocean Institute said in a news release by an international team of scientists and crew on an expedition near the Southern Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic.

Scientifically named Mesonychoteuthis Hamiltoni, the squid was a long-time boy nearly a foot long, the release said. It was 1,968 feet deep when scientists and crew members of the Institute’s Forcole research vessel filmed the video on a remotely operated vehicle called Subastein.

The remotely operated vehicle Subastaian will be retrieved on the research vessel Forcol.
Alex Ingle/Schmidt Ocean Institute

“It’s exciting to see first in situ”We’ve been working hard to get the better of our customers,” said Kat Bolstad of Auckland Institute of Technology.

Bolstad was one of the scientific experts who helped verify the video.

“For 100 years, we mostly encountered them as harvested teeth predators, as prey remains mainly in the stomachs of whales and seabirds,” she said.

The squid was officially identified and named in 1925, but up until now, no one could have seen it lively on camera.

The squid is estimated to grow up to 23 feet long and weigh as much as 1,100 pounds, the institute said. Little is known about the life cycle, but as adults, they lose their transparent body.

A giant squid should not be confused with a giant squid. Natural History Museums in London. Both are giant cephalopods but belong to various families of squid. Giant squids have much longer tentacles, while giant squids have much larger bodies with shorter tentacles.

Bolstad and Aaron Evans, independent experts in the glass squid who helped validate the video, said the giant squid has distinctive properties, including a hook in the middle of its eight arms.

So far, ROV Subastein from the Institute has filmed the first confirmed video of at least four squid species in the wild, including last year’s Promachoteuthis and Ram’s Horn Squid in 2020.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

The Giant Squid: A Remarkable First Sighting

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In March, Kat Bolstad returned from an Antarctic expedition, which used a new camera system specifically built to search for elusive giant squid.

No one had filmed footage of one of these animals swimming in the deep sea. She also found none of this voyage.

But the day she left the ship, Dr. Bolstad, a deep-sea cephalopod biologist, learned about a recent video taken from the South Sandwich Islands on March 9th. A team searching for new marine life and using Schmidt Ocean Institute’s submarines remotely was happening to young cephalopods.

The boy was about 30 centimeters (less than a foot) and had a clear body, delicate arms and brown spots. It was a huge squid.

“I knew as soon as I saw the footage there was a good opportunity,” said Dr. Bolstad, a cephalopod biologist at Auckland Institute of Technology in New Zealand. She discusses Schmidt’s Antarctica work remotely.

It has been 100 years since the giant squid was officially described in a scientific paper. In its adult form, the animal can grow to a massive squid or other invertebrates on Earth, growing to 6 or 7 meters long or up to 23 feet.

The first common sight of the species scientist in 1925 was incomplete. It’s just a fragment of the arm from the two squid on the belly of a sperm whale. It is believed that adults spend most of their time in the deep sea.

Dr. Bolstad said that huge, fully grown squids sometimes appear at sea level and are pulled up to the fishing boat while they are being pulled up. Young specimens appear in the trawl net.

However, up until now, humans had not witnessed any giant squid in their homes, swimming in the deep Antarctic ocean.

One of the reasons they are so elusive is the size of the house. Furthermore, squid is probably eschewing us, Dr. Bolstad said. “They know their surroundings very well, because the obstacles to the surrounding water column might mean predators.”

The sperm whales, the main squid predator, can dive up to 2 kilometers (1.25 miles). Perhaps to help them avoid whales, the giant squid has evolved its biggest eye in the world, much more than basketball.

They also have a unique combination of suckers and hooks in their arms and tentacles,” Dr. Bolstad said.

The footage was filmed by a remotely operated submarine called Subastein, which the Schmidt Ocean Institute uses to explore the deep seas. This particular dive was a partnership with the Nippon Foundation-Nekton Oceansus, an initiative to discover unknown species. The submarine stopped for several minutes during the descent, photographing small, transparent cephalopods.

“I think it’s very exciting,” said Christine Haffard, a biologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Institute in California, who is not involved in the expedition.

Dr. Hafard uses other remotely operated submerges in her research. She said these exploratory missions have “incredible value.” For example, her observation of an octopus Walking two sides At the seabed, you can walk two arms and use the other six to camouflage yourself as a mass of algae or coconut. The findings are useful for soft robotics researchers, she said.

Capturing footage of rarely seen marine animals, such as giant squid, can also communicate decisions about human activities, such as deep sea mining, according to Dr. Huffard.

She said it will help you know where these animals spend their time, where they are, where they mate and spawn, and how long they have lived.

The young giant squid in the video was swimming about 600 metres below, Dr. Bolstad said it was not a deep water body that adults are likely to live in. Other deep-sea squids spend their early life in shallow waters, she said. Having a transparent body may help predators swim the baby before the baby descends from the dark ocean as an opaque, reddish adult.

Submersible’s camera detects squid and can instantly send images. Unlike scientists a century ago, they had to dig into a massacre partially digested in whale belly, so everyone was part of the moment when Schmidt saw a “dive stream” from their home and found a giant squid, Dr. Bolstad said. “It’s incredibly amazing that humans can do, in real-time, from anywhere on Earth, to help them participate in these explorations and discoveries.”

She continues to search for grown animals. “I can’t wait to see what a giant living adult squid looks like, in the deep sea house it belongs to,” she said.

However, she also said she was pleased that the first sightings of the wild species were not an adult version. Rather than a leviathan swinging a giant hook, it’s “this beautiful early life stage that looks like a small glass sculpture.”

“In fact, I love seeing the first glimpse of what this will become a true giant,” Dr. Bolstad said.

Source: www.nytimes.com

First verified photo of a colossal squid in the ocean depths

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First confirmed live observation of a giant squid

ROV Subastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute

The giant squid, the planet’s largest invertebrate, was first photographed alive in its wild habitat.

For decades, giant squids like Kraken (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) It was more myth than reality. Scientists only had a vague sense of its appearance from fragments of remains found in the stomachs of whales eating molluscs. In fact, it was those ruins that the species was officially described by zoologists in 1925.

Finally, in 1981, Antarctic fishermen happened to play a giant squid that lived in a fishing net. Since then, animals have been killed or washed sometimes as fishing baikatches or died on land.

Containers from last month Schmidt Ocean InstituteThe US-based nonprofit was investigating the South Sea near the South Sandwich Islands and was streaming footage from a remotely controlled deep-sea camera when online viewers flagged it that they might have just shot a giant squid.

Based on the hints, the researchers sent high-resolution footage to independent squid experts. Experts have confirmed that online viewers’ predictions are correct. The squid had a distinctive hook along the sucker on its eight arms, a characteristic of a giant squid. I was roaming 600 meters below the surface.

The giant squid is thought to grow up to 7 meters long and weigh up to 500 kilograms, but the squid caught between the camera was 30 cm long: baby.

“Every time you descend into the deep water, it’s amazing to find something new and exciting,” he says. Jyotika Virmani of the Schmidt Ocean Institute.

Giant squid It may have already been filmed Natural habitat for 2023, by researchers from another US-based nonprofit organization. Corosal – However, the quality of the footage was too low, so no sightings were confirmed. A new squid recording may suggest that the 2023 footage actually captures a giant squid. “In the southern oceans, they have the same size, the same color, and the same depth.” Matt Murennan At Kolossal, we are still waiting for more confirmation.

However, there are no footage of huge squids of adults in the wild yet, and the lives of these giant invertebrates are still mystical, says Steve O’Sheapreviously at Auckland Institute of Technology in New Zealand, he created the name “Colossal squid” in the early 2000s. He once touted the animals as “serious inhabitants of the deep sea,” but now he is convinced that “like a giant gelatinous mites, it envelops a column of water near the ocean floor.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com