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.
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Large scale nautilus hunters. These fishermen load their boats with 150 bamboo traps and stay out at sea for a week. They can catch from 400 to 800 nautilus in a week. The nautilus of the Sulu Seas has almost been wiped out and these fishermen have moved on to new areas in the South China Sea. | Balabac | Philippines