Nautiloid

Meet the Nautiloids

Nautiloids are a special group of sea creatures called cephalopods. They are related to other sea animals like squid and octopus. These creatures belong to a bigger family called mollusks.

Nautiloids first appeared in the ocean a very long time ago, during the Late Cambrian period. Today, we can still find them living deep in the Pacific Ocean. The two main types we see today are called Nautilus and Allonautilus.

One of the most interesting things about nautiloids is their shells. Many ancient nautiloids had shells in amazing shapes—some coiled like spirals and others long and straight. Today, we still see coiled shells on modern nautiluses. These shells help the nautiloids stay balanced in the water.

Nautiluses live in deep, tropical waters from places like Samoa to the Philippines, and also near Australia in the Indian Ocean. They have simple lens-free eyes and many arms called tentacles to help them hunt for food like small sea creatures.

Scientists learn about ancient nautiloids by studying their fossils. These fossils are found in rocks from many places, like the Baltic coast and parts of the United States. Some ancient nautiloids grew very big, with shells up to 5.7 meters (19 feet) long!