Nautilus at Risk

Some of the most ancient marine creatures are the deep-sea dwelling chambered nautilus. Mostly the shells are found washed up on tropical beaches. But what lives inside these shells? Nautili are cephalopods, related to octopus and squids and live in depths up to 300 – 500 meter. Only at night do these rarely seen animals come nearer to the surface to feed. Since the demand for these beautiful shells is rising, fisheries in South East Asia and the Pacific Rim specialize in mass scale hunting of nautilus. In Queensland / Australia, scientists research the life and biology of these deep-sea creatures. To find more nautilus pictures, please click here.