The dataset contain biological information (sex, sizes, weights, beak increments number) from Japetella diaphana and Vampyroteuthis infernalis collected during research cruises from different institutions (GEOMAR, NOAA-NWFSC, MBARI). The data is part of Richard Schwarz his Ph.D. thesis on age and growth of deep-sea and Antarctic octopods. The data sets were used in the publication "Life history traits of the deep-sea pelagic cephalopods Japetella diaphana and Vampyroteuthis infernalis" (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2020.103365).The main dataset is https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.924103 which contains biological and capture data of the specimens used in the study. Information in all datasets can be linked using the specimens "ID" number.