Pearl Nautilus in cross-section Taxidermy full body mount - Nautilus pompilius - 12 cm - 9 cm - 6.2 cm - 1

Nautilus is a genus of cephalopods, a class of mollusks that also includes octopuses, belonging to the family Nautilidae. They are considered true "living fossils", a term now obsolete used to define particular species of animals or plants still alive today but that present morpho-anatomical and structural characteristics typical of ancient organisms from millions of years ago. The animal was considered extinct following fossil discoveries dating to the Paleozoic, and its discovery left many paleontologists and zoologists astonished. In fact, it was observed alive for the first time only in 1829, although in reality its shell was occasionally found by fishermen in the East Indies and, due to its beauty and rarity, it had already been widely used in the 17th century to make jewelry. Nautiluses are typically found in shallow waters in tropical seas, mainly in the Indo-Pacific, and feed on crustaceans and mollusks. The Nautilus is equipped with a large spiral shell that can reach over 20 centimeters in diameter. The opening of the shell is positioned at the top, and from it one can observe a soft body with large eyes and fleshy tentacles with a horn-like beak at the center, very similar to that of octopuses. Most of these tentacles are attached at the base to a kind of "sheath" from which the Nautilus can retract them in case of danger. The shell has a smooth and pearly surface; moreover it is thin and smooth, and its main characteristic is the logarithmic spiral configuration. To make this large structure even more incredible, in some species it is made of mother-of-pearl, and it is composed of a series of chambers connected by a canal that links them. Through it passes a nitrogenated gas that aids the animal’s buoyancy by means of appropriate pressure adjustments. Very beautiful lot: Nautilus pompilius cut open, pearly, the chambers are perfectly visible showing the splendid architecture of this beautiful specimen. The measurements refer to the non-cut Nautilus. Stand not included. A necessary clarification. The final image of our photographic gallery is obtained with the help of AI software. The aim is purely aesthetic but also exemplary: it shows the actual object inside an artificially generated scenography. The objective is to show how precious the items in the auction are and how well they look in different environments, all highly refined. Thank you for your attention. Happy bidding.