STEPHANIE PAPPAS, LIVESCIENCE
21 FEBRUARY 2021
Vampire squid have been lurking in the dark corners of the ocean for 30 million years, a new analysis of a long-lost fossil finds.
Vampyroteuthis infernalis) can thrive in deep, oxygen-poor ocean water, unlike many other squid species that require shallower habitat along continental shelves.
Few fossil ancestors of today s vampire squid survive, though, so scientists aren t sure when these elusive cephalopods evolved the ability to live with little oxygen.
The new fossil analysis helps to fill a 120-million-year gap in vampire squid evolution, revealing that the ancestors of modern-day vampire squid already lived in the deep oceans during the Oligocene, 23 million to 34 million years ago.
A recent analysis of long-lost fossil uncovers vampyroteuthis infernalis a current-day vampire squid that can flourish in intense, oxygen-poor ocean water.
A year since COVID-19, dorm life leaves migrant workers still hoping for better channelnewsasia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from channelnewsasia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Research Press Release
Communications Biology
February 19, 2021
The evolutionary ancestors of vampire squids may have adapted to deep-sea environments that were low in oxygen as early as the Oligocene period (around 23¬¬–34 million years ago), according to a paper published in
Communications Biology. These findings help bridge a 120 million-year gap in the vampire squid fossil record.
The modern vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) inhabits extreme, low-oxygen habitats in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. However, it is unclear how or when these squids evolved the unique traits that allow them to thrive in these deep-sea environments, especially since ancestral Mesozoic squids were known to inhabit relatively shallow water in epicontinental shelves.