Vampire Librarian Goes to the Sea! (virtually)

These are the fishes I'd like in MY aquarium.


The Coffinfish (No Latin name given)

He looks like he'd pop if you poked him.
And I would.









Fangtooth (Anoplogaster cornuta)

Look at those teeth! I love it. I want to hug it and squeeze it and call it George.













Pacific Spookfish (Rhinochimaera pacifica) AKA
Long-nosed Chimaera (USA) AKA Cyrano Chimaera (Europe)

He has a built in metal detector in his nose. Just too cool. Plus he's got cool names.

But the best, the most wanted,

the Official Vampire Librarian Aquatic Mascot is...

The Vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis)

This strange jelly-like animal is halfway between a squid and a finned octopus. In life it is dark brown to black with a pair of fins on the body that are used to slowly fly through the water. They have eight arms with deep webs that form a large umbrella for engulfing prey. On each side, between the bases of the first and second arm pairs, there is a pit that contains a long thin filament. These are filaments considered the equivalent of another pair of limbs, linking them with the squids and cuttlefishes that have ten limbs. Vampire squids have been seen from submersibles hanging mid water with these long filaments trailing from their body, suggesting that they are used to sense vibrations in the water. These animals are great at light shows. They have a pair of large light organs on the tip of their body complete with black eye lids. They can also make light on their arm tips and squirt a cloud of luminous fluid with bright glowing spots inside. Vampire squids start their lives with two pairs of fins, losing one pair as they get older.

--National Oceans Office.

A vampire squid, people. VAMPIRE SQUID. That's all I can say.

All images and quotes have been taken from the NORFANZ website. Go, look at all the funny fishes.