These photographs of Vampyroteuthis were taken insitu by an ROV of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. The photograph on the left is a side view of the vampire in an unusual pose. The small white dots on the arms (they seem to form rows), on the head, mantle and fins are photophores. Some of the photophores extend onto the web. Note the peculiar nature of the web in this posture. On the right the arms are aligned and the presence of a web is hardly noticed. The two oval white spots on the dorsal surface (right photograph) were once thought to be photophores but actually are photoreceptors.
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
