Deep Water Fossil
by Craig Wood
Title
Deep Water Fossil
Artist
Craig Wood
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
The curious-looking chambered nautilus, also known simply as the nautilus, is considered by many to be a living fossil. Nautilus pompilius is the largest and most common of about six species known to exist. Like the coelacanth, it has remained unchanged for over 400 million years. During prehistoric times, there were about 10,000 different species of nautilus, but only a small handful are known to survive today. The nautilus is a mollusk and a member of the cephalopod family. It is closely related to other cephalopods such as the squid, cuttlefish, and octopus. Like most cephalopods, it can use jet propulsion to attain speeds of over two knots. A small tube near the animal's tentacles, known as a siphon, expels water under pressure. This propels the nautilus in the opposite direction at high speeds.
The life and habits of the nautilus are still largely a mystery, since it spends most of its time in deep water. The shell of the nautilus is comprised of many individual chambers. Each chamber is individually sealed and contains an amount of gas. This provides the animal with buoyancy. The nautilus can regulate its density by injecting or removing fluid into these chambers through a system of tubes. This strong shell also provides protection for the animal's soft body. The nautilus has many more tentacles than its close cousins. Depending on the particular species, there can be up to 90 separate tentacles. The tentacles are arranged into two circles, and unlike those of other cephalopods, they have no suction cups. These tentacles are used to catch shrimp, fish and small crustaceans, which the animal crushes with its powerful beak. Nautiluses are active predators, but since their siphon system uses very little energy while swimming, they only need to eat about once a month. Their eyesight is very poor because their eyes contains no lenses. Instead, there is only a tiny hole to allow light into the eye. This system operates much like a pinhole camera. The nautilus is thought to rely mainly on its sense of smell when searching for food or looking for a mate. An adult nautilus can grow to about eight inches (20 centimeters) in length.
Photograph is the copyright property of Craig Wood and cannot be copied or used without permission. FAA watermark will not appear on prints purchased.
Uploaded
February 13th, 2016
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