Aloha from Hawaii
A Chambered Nautilus cruises ocean depths. On display at the Waikiki Aquarium. (Nautilus Pompilius)
Photo by Bruce A. Carlson
unused, but from 2007
from www.aqua.org:
The Chambered nautilus is a mollusk, related to the octopus, squid, clam and snail.
A nautilus, along with the cuttlefish, squid and octopus, are all cephalopods, meaning ‘head-foot,’ so named because the feet (tentacles) are attached to the head.
The nautilus has more than ninety suckerless tentacles. Grooves and ridges on the tentacles are used to grip prey and deliver food to a crushing, parrot-like beak.
Unlike snails, the spiraled shell of the nautilus is divided into chambers with the animal occupying the outermost chamber. A newly hatched nautilus begins life with about four chambers and develops an average of 30 chambers by adulthood. The inner chambers are filled with gas and help the nautilus to maintain neutral buoyancy. The nautilus adds liquid to the chambers in order to dive.
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