Sanctuary: The Abnormal Reality of A Vampire Squid

I really enjoyed watching Sanctuary episode 208 Next Tuesday.  In it they were hunting a Vampire Squid off the Gulf of Mexico.  In the setting it’s a rare, docile abnormal and I wondered what is the real Vampire Squid like?

Unlike in the show the real Vampire Squid or Vampyroteuthis infernalisgets to a maximum of one foot in total length.  Big enough to battle a scorpion but not big enough to pull a person under the water.

They also differ by having a webbing connecting the eight arms so it could not do battle with those individual arms.  It does have two additional filaments that are like a squid’s tentacles which do reach well beyond their arms.

What I found particularly fascinating about the Vampire Squid are all of the light-producing organs covering it.  It has great control over the individual organs that they can produce a disorienting light show with them, varying the intensity and size.  If only I could have one in my fish tank, turn off the lights, sit back and enjoy the show.

I wished Sanctuary would have spent more on their version of the Vampire Squid.  What makes them an abnormal beyond their intelligence?  Part of me hoped they would be more of a humanoid octopus hybrid.