Rare Footage of Vampire Squid Captured (Video)

Scientists from the 2014 Nautilus Exploration Program probing the depths of the Gulf of Mexico recently came across a rarely spotted vampire squid.

A remotely-operated vehicle called the Hercules captured footage of the creature slowly trolling through the water.

In a note on Facebook, the scientists noted, “We had a surprise visit from a Vampire Squid last night, perfect timing for the end of cephalopodweek.”

Vampire squids are deep-sea cephalopods. Given its sinister name, you may think the creatures feast on blood, but that’s not actually the case. Vampire squid prey on copepods, prawns and cnidarians.

They get the vampire name due to their appearance. The creatures, which bear a resemblance to both octopuses and squids, have reddish-brown skin, large blue eyes and webbing in between their arms.

They typically reside in the dark depths of the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of California and off Monterey Bay. The Nautilus crew is currently studying the effects of oil and gas spills in the Gulf of Mexico.