Chambered Nautilus

ocean · ancient creature · spiral shells · camouflage

Shimmering shell interior. When you cut open a chambered nautilus shell, you find a beautiful pearly lining called nacre that glows with rainbow colors. This same nacre is what makes pearls so valuable and lustrous.

Perfect spiral shape. The shell grows in a nearly perfect equiangular spiral, which means the spiral pattern stays the same shape as it gets bigger. This is one of nature's most impressive geometric patterns.

Built-in camouflage. The nautilus is dark on top and light on the bottom, making it nearly invisible to predators. From above, it blends with the dark ocean depths, and from below, it matches the lighter water.

Ancient sea survivor. Chambered nautiluses have barely changed for millions of years because their design works so well. They are living fossils, giving us a peek into what ancient oceans were like.

Compartmented home. The shell has separate chambers inside that the nautilus fills with gas or water to control whether it sinks or floats. This is like having a built-in submarine!