Photo credit: National Geographic
You’ve no doubt been told that some of the world’s oldest species still live today – usually in the deep sea. These animals are as abstract in our minds as the concept of living dinosaurs – but did you know one is rather close to home?
A nautilus is one of the oldest creatures that still survives in our world, yet they are rarely seen in the wild. This is due to the fact that they live inside gorgeous shells that tourists want and locals know how to get.
Fortunately, there are places like the Republic of Palau where government officials have taken steps to protect this dwindling species. In 2013, President Tommy Remengesau announced that 80 percent of the waters surrounding the island were to become a National Marine Sanctuary.
Sound familiar? That’s because we wrote an article on marine protected areas last month.
This month a National Geographic explorer, Dr. Enric Sala, is leading a team of scientists to explore and document the abundance of marine life in these waters. Last week, the team was fortunate enough to encounter not one but twelve of the rare nautilus.
The nautilus, similar to an octopus or squid, is a cephalopod and has very poor eyesight, living within the shell for protection. The shell is chambered and as the animal matures more and more chambers develop.
Their home essentially continues to adapt to their body – how cool is that?
Photo credit: Wikimedia
An interesting fact about the nautilus’s shell is that the chambers are filled with gases that allow for buoyancy. When it wants to dive deeper, which is often due to the species being prey for sharks, sea turtles, and octopus, the nautilus will excrete a liquid into the chambers to help offset the gas and sink faster.
The nautilus is considered to be a living fossil, meaning that it has been on our planet for more than 400 million years and has experienced little or no change in its way of life. In the past there were thousands of different nautilus species.
Now, only a few remain.
Thankfully there are places, such as Palau, where these animals can live without the threat of extinction and we can witness their rare beauty for years to come.