Vampire Squid Sex Life is Really Unique

The species of cephalopods known as the Vampire Squid sure lives up to its name as far as its longevity is concerned.

Vampire Squid reproduce through a method that has seldom been observed in the field. But one thing that is certain is that their technique is indeed special and ensures a lengthy life for the baby squid.

The thing is that the majority of other squids have just one moment in their existence in the deep blue sea when they spawn eggs and the two sexes reproduce. But Vampire Squid go through many such cycles of egg-laying and (re)production of baby squids.

This is a phenomenon rarely seen in the world of cephalopods. And so Vampire Squids /4/live longer than other members of their life form genre. All that is known is that during the process of courtship, the male squid lends a sperm parcel to the female squid who somehow manipulates it to fertilize her eggs.

Scientists don’t have much information on how the mating scenario occurs in Vampire Squid. When the ovaries of dead and preserved female Vampire Squids were examined, it was found out that they produce several batches of eggs on a cyclical basis. Thousands of eggs had been produced and thousands were capable of being made for future purposes. 

Credit: Live Science

The adult phase of the Vampire Squid is said to last about a decade with several more surplus years for further fecundity and making of copies of itself. There are over a hundred eggs in a clutch which the female squid has. And the reproductive cycles number a total of 38 and /4/extend to 65 more similar fertile event horizons.

However, the other squids and octopi you observe in nature usually just reproduce once in a lifetime and die within one to two years. This life span is way shorter than the Vampire Squid.

Another thing about the Vampire Squid is its languid style of living. It is a lazy and indolent beast. Unlike its cousin creatures which are lightning fast and quick to act, it is a very easygoing creature of the oceanic depths, according to LiveScience.

While the name of this strange life form /4/be provocative, in fact it lives in the extreme depths where there is little oxygen. Its metabolism is sluggish and it also feeds on prey that is low in nutritional value. Maybe the low-key mode of living allows the Vampire Squid to carry on surviving for many years in its habitat. But then this is just a conjecture.  

The new findings were published today (April 20) in the journal Current Biology.