Vampire Squid Sex Life Better Than Other Squids? Prolongs Lives & Outlives Other Species

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Vampire squids have an unusual reproductive method that is beneficial to their kind and sets them apart from other cephalopods and deep sea creatures, according to a new study.

Vampyroteuthis infernalis, which literally means "vampire squid of hell," is a cephalopod that inhabits the deep tropical oceans. According to the research published in Current Biology, unlike most cephalopods like squids and octopi, vampire squids have multiple reproductive cycles which scientists believe could happen more than 20 times. The researchers suggest that this species may live longer despite its "slow pace of life."

Henk-Jan T. Hoving, of Germany's GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and one of the authors of the research said that there remains minimal information about the vampire squid's mating process because these creatures have never been studied during this stage, according to NBC News.

The research was carried out by dissecting more than 40 female vampire squids and observing their ovaries. The specimens were collected from species preserved in jars of alcohol at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

Most of the squids have already spawned but fortunately, they were able to reconstruct the reproductive history of the vampire squids and were surprised by the outcome. The female vampire squid is able to start a new cycle through what the scientists call a "gonadal resting phase," a time when the squid's ovary is void of egg cells.

The largest female specimen was believed to have spawned more than 30 times, prompting the authors to believe that adult stage is five to eight years and that the total life span is more than the said period. The researchers are looking further into studying the specimens as they have more answers to seek with regard the life span of the squid. They also need to know the duration of a gonadal resting phase and how long it takes for an egg to mature.

"It would be nice to keep animals in the lab alive for as long as possible to try to figure out how fast they grow," Hoving says, according to American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

"If they indeed live much longer, then it's important to know," Hoving said via Live Science. "Age and longevity are very important parameters to understand how an ecosystem works."

"The study has given us a brand-new way of understanding how some cephalopods reproduce, and also has given us the first insight into what the possible life span of this animal might be," said Kathrin Bolstad of Zealand's Auckland University of Technology via AAAS.  "Every little tiny piece of the puzzle about deep-sea animals that we can put together is a fantastic advance."