Nautilus pompilius The Nautilida Order contains six extant species and a handful of extinct ones, some of which date all the way back around 550 million years . They are primitive Cephalopods that often are given the "living fossil" moniker-- they have changed very little over the past several million years. The Chambered Nautilus is perhaps the best known of the bunch. They are large in size (one subspecies reaches just under a foot in shell diameter) and have a very widespread distribution across the Pacific. The shell of the Chambered Nautilus is covered in dark and light stripes-- a coloration pattern that camouflages them. The shell serves as protection, and also helps with buoyancy as the Nautilus can fill and empty out different pockets with gas. As they grow, the shell gains new chambers, and full grown adults will have around 30 different compartments. Aside from the shell, the Chambered Nautilus displays several other interes...
New day? New animal! Facts and pics from creatures of all shapes and sizes, all over the world.