The Little Blue-Eyed Vampire from Hell

Seek out the mysterious vampire squid on a stunning journey into the ocean's depths with leading marine conservationist Richard Ellis

Renowned marine conservationist Richard Ellis gives a fascinating account of the vampire squid. Named Vampyroteuthis infernalis ("the vampire squid from Hell") by its nineteenth-century discoverer because of its sinister appearance, it is neither a vampire nor a true squid, and lives in the deep ocean where few humans ever catch sight of it. A unique, stunning creature, it is sometimes called a "living fossil," and it can light up or turn inside out at a moment's notice.

Ellis's narrative of the vampire squid's history, evolution, and characteristics is brought into context by his broad knowledge of other squid, octopus, and marine species. More than thirty dazzling images illustrate the book. The Little Blue-Eyed Vampire from Hell is an exhilarating journey into the ocean's abyss, boldly illuminating one of the earth's most elusive creatures.

Richard Ellis is one of America's leading marine conservationists, and is generally recognized as the foremost painter of marine natural history subjects in the world. His paintings of whales have appeared in Audubon, National Wildlife, Australian Geographic,the Encyclopedia Britannica, and numerous other national and international publications. His shark paintings have been featured in Sports Afield, Audubon, Sport Diver, Nautical Quarterly, Reader's Digest, and of course his own Book of Sharks-now in its seventh printing, and called the most popular book on sharks ever written. His paintings have been exhibited at one-man and group shows from coast to coast. In 2005, in conjunction with the Italian publication of his Encyclopedia of the Sea, Richard Ellis was given a one-man show of his drawings at the Galata Museo del Mare in Genoa.

Ellis is the author of more than twenty books on marine life, including Great White Shark, Men and Whales, Monsters of the Sea, The Search for the Giant Squid, The Empty Ocean, Tuna: A Love Story, The Great Sperm Whale,and Shark: A Visual History. In 2012, he was awarded the Explorers Club Communications Award and the Herman Melville Literary Award from the New York State Marine Education Association for his contributions to conservation literature. He lives in New York City.