Vampire squid fossil! What is #cephalopodweek at a geology page without a vampire squid fossil? I&rs

Vampire squid fossil!What is #cephalopodweek at a geology page without a vampire squid fossil? I’m not sure but since today is also #fossilfriday let’s make sure that doesn’t happen.The Vampire Squid of today is a species with a name that sounds much more intimidating than it actually is. It is a deep-sea creature, found only deep in the oceans where no sunlight penetrates. It is similar to other cephalopods such as squid and octopus but it is distinct from both, with differences driven by the environment where it lives. Its name originates from the webbing between its arms that was thought to resemble a cape, dark skin with little pigment, and eyes that can appear red under some lighting conditions. However, unlike the octopus that can be found at shallower ocean levels, the modern vampire squid has not been seen to eat live prey, only debris that sinks from shallower ocean levels.The modern Vampire Squid is classified as Vampyroteuthis infernalis; this fossil one is considered Vampyronassa rhodanica; related, but slightly different. Many of the features are the same, implying that even though these rocks are Jurassic in age, the lifestyle of this creature was much the same as it is today.The bodies of the Vampire Squid today are close to neutrally buoyant in the ocean, so they can hang out at a given level while spending almost no energy. If threatened, they are able to accelerate themselves by using fins to propel themselves and can release a type of bioluminescent mucus that distracts the threat while the organism swims away. Some of the propulsion parts on the fossilized version are longer than on the modern version, maybe suggesting that it was a better swimmer or lived in an environment where rapid propulsion was more needed.Also caught in this limestone along with the squid are a fossil Jurassic shrimp (to the left) and a bivalve (above it).-JBBImage credit: http://bit.ly/1K784WWRead more:http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/v/vampyronassa.htmlhttp://eol.org/pages/10511140/detailshttp://www.sci-news.com/biology/article00623.htmlhttp://www.thecephalopodpage.org/vampy.php -- source link

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