The elusive 'vampire squid from hell' has just yielded the largest cephalopod genome ever sequenced, a monster clocking in at more than 11 billion base pairs – more than twice as large as the biggest squid genomes.Hidden in its mix of A, T, G, and C was a deep evolutionary story. Despite not being an actual squid, Vampyroteuthis infernalis has preserved a surprisingly squid-like chromosomal architecture – a layout shared long ago with the ancestor of modern octopuses and squids.The vampire squid is a fascinating twig tenaciously hanging onto the cephalopod family tree. It's neither a squid nor an octopus (nor a vampire), but rather the last, lone remnant of an ancient lineage whose other members have long since vanished.Related: Cephalopods Passed a Cognitive Test Intended For Human ChildrenIt's considered by many to be a living fossil in some respects, dating back 183 million years or so and retaining many of the traits of its forebears, in addition to the adaptations it needed to make to thrive as a deep-sea scavenger in the dark.Vestigial traces of body structures and traits the vampire squid shares with squids, octopuses, and cuttlefishes led scientists to believe it might also harbor some genetic information about the mysterious origins of these fascinating creatures, before they all diverged some 300 million years ago."The vampire squid sits right at the interface between octopuses and squids," says genomicist Oleg Simakov of the University of Vienna. "Its genome reveals deep evolutionary secrets on how two strikingly different lineages could emerge from a shared ancestor."Although the vampire squid is shy and elusive, living in conditions deeply inhospitable to humans at depths greater than 600 meters (2,000 feet), the researchers were fortunate to obtain a specimen accidentally captured as bycatch by the Tokai University research vessel T/V Hokuto during activities in Suruga Bay.Sequencing its DNA, they were stunned by the genome's size of 11 to 14 gigabases...
First seen: 2025-12-07 07:22
Last seen: 2025-12-07 13:22