News Paleontology

Vampire squid are gentle blobs. But this ancestor was a fierce hunter

Reconstruction of 164-million-year-old fossils reveal a muscular body and powerful suckers

illustration of Vampyronassa rhodanica in pink with a blue background

Vampyronassa rhodanica (illustrated), an ancestor of the modern vampire squid, lived 164 million years ago. It had a sleek, muscular body and eight arms lined with powerful suckers that could have helped it snatch and hold onto prey.

A. Lethiers/CR2P-SU.

By Carolyn Gramling

- More than 2 years ago

Despite the scary name, modern vampire squid are docile denizens of the deep sea — but their Jurassic ancestors may have been a lot fiercer.