Design

To keep itself afloat and upright, the chambered nautilus has a tube called a siphuncle that runs down the center of each chamber and releases a gas, maintaining a density close to that of sea water. This allows the chambered nautilus to swim about with a minimum of effort. The information for this design was part of God’s provision for this creature at its creation; this feature did not evolve.

Features

• The spiral-shaped shell of the nautilus has a pattern of brown and white.
• The creature creates up to 30 different chambers within its shell that it will occupy as it grows. A tough hood protects the nautilus where its body connects to its shell.

Fun Facts

• This species is probably the most common nautilus.
• The chambered nautilus also has small tentacles that it uses to swim or pull itself along rocks.
• In the daytime it descends about 2,000 ft (610 m) into the deep and at night it rises to a depth of 300–500 ft (90–150 m) to feed.
• The nautilus has an unusually long life span for a cephalopod; it may live for more than 15 years.