📷 Chris 73 · CC BY-SA 3.0
📷 Daggerstab
📷 Magnus Manske
IUCN: Not Evaluated
Chambered Nautilus
Nautilus pompilius
KingdomAnimalia›PhylumMollusca›ClassCephalopoda›OrderNautilida›FamilyNautilidae›GenusNautilus
About
The chambered nautilus is a living relative of ammonites, a cephalopod in a coiled shell divided into gas-filled chambers it adjusts for buoyancy. It moves by jet propulsion and hunts shrimp and crabs by smell, with a pinhole eye that is a remarkable primitive design. Overfishing for shells and ocean acidification that thins shells are its main threats, and trade is now regulated under CITES Appendix II.
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Deep coral reef slopes of the Indo-Pacific, 100–700 m
🍃Diet Scavenger and carnivore — crabs, shrimp, and carrion
📏Size & Weight Shell up to 25 cm
•weight Up to 800 g
⏳Lifespan Possibly over 20 years
🗺Range Tropical Indo-Pacific deep reef slopes
InvertebrateCephalopod
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Deep coral reef slopes of the Indo-Pacific, 100–700 m
🍃Diet Scavenger and carnivore — crabs, shrimp, and carrion
📏Size & Weight Shell up to 25 cm
•weight Up to 800 g
⏳Lifespan Possibly over 20 years
🗺Range Tropical Indo-Pacific deep reef slopes
Photo Credits
#1Chris 73 · CC BY-SA 3.0
#2Daggerstab · Public domain
#3Magnus Manske · Public domain
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