Wildlife of the World
Puzzle 66 · Ocean Giants and Reef Life · Page 100 in print
Chambered Nautilus
The chambered nautilus lives in the largest compartment of its spiral shell; older chambers help maintain buoyancy, while water expelled through a funnel propels it through the sea.
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A striped chambered-nautilus shell photographed in Queensland.
The shell reveals the striped spiral structure of the chambered nautilus.
(c) Tom Field, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original recordImage changes
Resized and converted to JPEG for display; no subject alteration.
Living chambered nautiluses at Aquarium Finisterrae in A Coruña, Spain.
Species reference for Chambered Nautilus. The photograph does not necessarily show the population or place named in the puzzle.
Fernando Losada Rodríguez · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original recordImage changes
Resized and converted to JPEG for display; no subject alteration.
The words
Ammonoids
The nautilus is a relative of the ancient ammonoids.
Buoyancy
The shell lets the nautilus control its buoyancy.
Cephalopod
The chambered nautilus is a cephalopod.
Chambers
The older chambers of the shell hold gas and liquid.
Fiji
Nautilus populations were studied in Fiji.
Hood
The nautilus closes its shell opening with a leathery hood.
Indo-Pacific
The chambered nautilus lives in the Indo-Pacific.
Living Fossil
A species little changed for ages.
The chambered nautilus is considered a living fossil.
Nautilus
The nautilus seals off its older chambers as it grows.
Pinhole Eye
The nautilus has simple pinhole eyes without lenses.
Propulsion
The nautilus moves by jet propulsion.
Shell
Nautiluses are known for their coiled shells.
Siphuncle
A tube called the siphuncle connects the chambers.
Spiral
The nautilus shell spirals above the animal.
Tentacles
More than 90 suckerless tentacles protrude from the shell.
Sources
- Chambered Nautilus (source capture)Aquarium of the Pacific
- Chambered Nautilus (source capture)NOAA Fisheries
- Chambered Nautilus (source capture)Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology