Hobbies And Interests
Identification
The white shell of the chambered nautilus features a pattern of brown stripes. The inside consists of chambers that the nautilus adds to as it gets bigger. The last chamber holds the cephalopod's body, which has two eyes and around 90 tentacles used for smelling and holding prey. The nautilus hides inside its shell and closes it off with a thick hood when threatened.
Geography
Chambered nautiluses live near coral reef slopes in tropical waters. Their range reaches from the seas south of Japan to Australia's Great Barrier Reef and from the Andaman Sea near Thailand to Fiji.
Considerations
Chambered nautiluses remain at depths of 900 to 2,000 feet below sea level during the day to stay cool and hide from sharks, octopuses and other predators. They rise to about 300 to 500 feet below sea level each night to hunt for prey, such as fish and hermit crabs.
Fun Fact
This cephalopod species served as the inspiration for the Oliver Wendell Holmes poem "The Chambered Nautilus" and the Andrew Wyeth painting "Chambered Nautilus."