VAMPIRE SQUID
Original Animal Characteristics
Description: The Vampire Squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis, lit. "vampire squid from hell") is a small, deep-sea cirrate cephalopod found throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world. Its gelatinous body varies in color between
velvety jet-black and pale reddish, depending on location and lighting conditions. A webbing of skin connects its eight arms, each lined with rows of fleshy spines or cirri; the inside of this "cloak" is black. Only the distal half (farthest from the
body) of the arms have suckers. Its limpid, globular eyes appear red or blue, also depending on.
Mature adults have a pair of ear-like fins projecting from the lateral sides of the mantle. These fins serve as the adult's primary means of propulsion: Vampire Squid are said to "fly" through the water by way of flapping their fins. Their powerful
beak-like jaws are as white as ivory. Within the webbing are two pouches wherein the tactile velar filaments are concealed. The filaments are analogous to a true squid's tentacles, extending well past the arms, however, they are a different arm
pair than the squid's tentacles. Instead, the filaments are the same pair that were lost by the ancestral octopuses.
The Vampire Squid is covered entirely in light-producing organs called photophores. The animal has great control over the organs, capable of producing disorienting flashes of light for fractions of a second to several minutes in duration. The
intensity and size of the photophores can also be modulated. Appearing as small white discs, the photophores are larger and more complex at the tips of the arms and at the base of the two fins, but are absent from the underside of the caped
arms. Two larger white areas on top of the head were initially believed to be photophores too, but have turned out to be photoreceptors.
The Vampire Squid is an extreme example of a deep-sea cephalopod, thought to reside at aphotic (lightless) depths from 600-900 metres (2,000-3,000 feet) or more. Within this region of the world's oceans is a discrete habitat known as the
oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). Within the OMZ oxygen saturation is too low to support aerobic metabolism in most higher organisms. Nonetheless, the Vampire Squid is able to live and breathe normally in the OMZ at oxygen saturations as
low as 3%; a feat no other cephalopod--and few other animals--can claim.
In order to cope with life in the suffocating depths, vampire squid have developed several radical adaptations. Of all deep-sea cephalopods, their mass-specific metabolic rate is the lowest. The animals have weak musculature but maintain
agility and buoyancy with little effort thanks to sophisticated statocysts (balancing organs akin to a human's inner ear) and ammonium-rich gelatinous tissues closely matching the density of the surrounding seawater.
At the shallower end of the Vampire Squid's vertical range, the view from below is like the sky at twilight: The highly sensitive eyes of deepwater denizens are able to distinguish the silhouettes of other animals moving overhead. To combat
this, the vampire squid generates its own bluish light (bioluminescence) in a strategy called counterillumination: The light diffuses the animal's silhouette, effectively "cloaking" its presence from the watchful eyes below. Its own large eyes
detect even the faintest of gleams. A pair of photoreceptors are located on top of its head, perhaps alerting the animal to movements above.
Like other deep-sea cephalopods, Vampire Squid lack ink sacs. If threatened, instead of ink, a sticky cloud of bioluminescent mucus containing innumerable orbs of blue light is ejected from the arm tips. This luminous barrage, which may last
nearly 10 minutes, is presumably meant to daze would-be predators and allow the Vampire Squid to disappear into the blackness without the need to swim far. The display is made only if the animal is very agitated; regenerating the mucus is
costly from a metabolic point of view.
With their long velar filaments deployed, Vampire Squid have been observed drifting along in the deep, black ocean currents. If the filaments contact an entity, or if vibrations impinge upon them, the animals investigate with rapid acrobatic
movements. They are capable of swimming at speeds equivalent to two body lengths per second, with an acceleration time of five seconds. However, their weak muscles limit stamina considerably.
Unlike their relatives living in more hospitable climes, deep-sea cephalopods cannot afford to expend energy in protracted flight. Given their low metabolic rate and the low density of prey at such depths, Vampire Squid must use innovative
predator avoidance tactics in order to conserve energy. Their aforementioned bioluminescent "fireworks" are combined with the writhing of glowing arms, erratic movements and escape trajectories, making it difficult for a predator to home in.
In a threat response called "pumpkin" or "pineapple posture", the Vampire Squid inverts its caped arms back over the body, presenting an ostensibly larger form covered in fearsome-looking though harmless spines (called cirri). The underside
of the cape is heavily pigmented, masking most of the body's photophores. The glowing arm tips are clustered together far above the animal's head, diverting attack away from critical areas. If a predator were to bite off an arm tip, the Vampire
Squid can regenerate it.
Copepods, prawns and cnidarians have all been reported as prey of Vampire Squid. Little else is known regarding their feeding habits, but considering their environment, a fussy palate is unlikely. Vampire Squid have been found among the
stomach contents of large deepwater fish, deep diving whales and pinnipeds such as sea lions.
Size Level: 1
Height: Up to 1 foot (30cm)
Weight: 1D6 pounds
Build: Medium
Mutant Changes & Costs
Total BIO-E: 90
Attribute Bonuses:+1 to I.Q., +2 to P.S., +8 to Spd.
Human Features
Hands: Partial hands are automatic, because the arms are the equivalent of partial hands.
5 BIO-E for Full. The arms have developed three branches at the end of each which serve as two fingers and a thumb.
15 BIO-E for Full Humanoid arms and Hands (MiO, page 42) Note: must be bought for EACH Extra Pair of Arms for full use.
Biped: None; Crawls along with arms.
2 BIO-E for Four legs for walking (MiO, page 42).
5 BIO-E for Four legs for running (MiO, page 42).
5 BIO-E for Two-legged Biped (MiO, page 42).
10 BIO-E for Two-legged Biped with a second pair of partial limbs used as both arms and legs (MiO, page 42).
15 BIO-E for Two-legged Biped with a third pair of partial limbs used both as arms and legs (MiO, page 42).
Speech : 5 BIO-E for Partial or 10 BIO-E for Full.
Looks: None; huge head with loose, bulbous back (see picture); large eyes; red or black, leathery skin.
5 BIO-E for Partial; Huge head and thick neck; long, flexible body; multiple arms protrude from upper torso, humanoid legs and body form; clearly not human!
Full Human Looks are NOT available.
Natural Weapons:
5 BIO-E for 1D6 Beak.
Mutant Animal Powers:
Automatically gets Breathing: Gills and Swimming: Basic.
5 BIO-E for Shadow Concealment
5 BIO-E for Hold Breath (in the air)
5 BIO-E for Powerful Suction Cups per pair of tentacles. (RH, 10)
10 BIO-E for Luminescent Patch
10 BIO-E for Sensor Filament
10 BIO-E for Breathing: Lungs
10 BIO-E for Predator Burst
15 BIO-E for Pineapple Posture Defense
15 BIO-E for Photophore (the glowing eyes)
15 BIO-E for Multi-Limb Coordination. (RH, 10)
15 BIO-E for Swimming: Acrobatic
15 BIO-E for Neutral Buoyancy
20 BIO-E for Retractable Sensor Filaments (trip wire)
20 BIO-E for Low Oxygen Requirement
20 BIO-E for Breathing: Dual Breathing
20 BIO-E for Luminescent Distraction Pattern
25 BIO-E for Luminescent Cloud Spray
30 BIO-E for Luminescent Hypnosis
35 BIO-E for Luminescent Blinding Pattern
Vestigial Disadvantages:
-5 BIO-E for No Gills
-5 BIO-E for Light Sensitivity
-5 BIO-E per pair for Vestigial Disadvantage: Arms
-10 BIO-E for Simple Eyes
-10 BIO-E for Prey Eyes (may be combined with Simple Eyes, above)
-10 BIO-E for Reptile Brain: Prey
-10 BIO-E for Webbed Hands and Feet
-15 BIO-E for Low Metabolic Rate
-20 BIO-E for Soft Body (� normal S.D.C.)
-20 BIO-E for Dehydration: Extreme
Notes: