Study discovers a 183 million old new species of vampire squid
A NEW species of vampire squid has been discovered after researchers found the 183-million-year-old fossil containing its last meal.
The vampire squid was likely distracted from hunting its prey, a mistake that resulted in its death.
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The fossil was found in 2022 by German researchers, who found the fossil in Bascharage, Luxembourg.
The fossil is incredibly well preserved and shows not only the vampire squid, but also its prey: two small fish in its grasp, per Science alert.
Researchers discovered that the squid had suffocated.
They theorized that during its hunt it likely drifted into an oxygen-deprived area of the ocean, resulting in its death.
The squid couldn’t even enjoy its last meal, while the fossil held the completely preserved fish.
The fossil contained the soft tissue structures and many details, allowing researchers to find out that they had found an undiscovered species.
They named it Simoniteuthis michaelyi and published their findings in the Swiss Journal of Paleontology.
Researchers believe the fossil sank to the depths and became covered in sand, ultimately protecting it from decomposition.
It is the first example of a fossil found with its meal in its claws.
“Although there is fossil evidence that Jurassic vampyromorphs lived in deeper waters, it is more likely that their earliest representatives roamed and hunted in shallower waters,” the researchers said.
“[S. michaelyi] confirms here that early Jurassic precursors of the Vampyromorpha were limited to or had a range including continental shelves.”
Although vampire squids are named for their color and somewhat vampiric appearance, they are not squids.
The species is cephalopod, with eight arms connected by a web of skin.
These animals are incredibly rare and are only found in the depths of the ocean.
They are among the only living things that can withstand the temperatures and low oxygen levels of this environment.
As of this writing, there is only one species of vampire squid left alive.
Its name is Vampyroteuthis infernalis and it fittingly has reddish skin and eyes.
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