Discovery log

1903

The vampire squid, discovered by the Valdivia Expedition

In 1898–1899, German zoologist Carl Chun explored the deep ocean aboard the Valdivia during a year-long expedition covering the Atlantic, the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean. Among the deep-sea specimens brought back, he described in 1903 an unprecedented cloaked, squid-like creature, which he named Vampyroteuthis infernalis — literally 'vampire squid from hell' — a name inspired by its dark colour and webbed cloak, not by any predatory habits: the animal actually feeds on organic debris.

• ↓Mesopelagic zone
• ↓Bathypelagic zone