Argonaut

ocean · octopus · amazing builders

Octopuses with shells. Argonauts are pelagic octopuses that live in the open ocean. Unlike other octopuses, only the females make and carry special paper-thin shells around with them.

Built, not stolen. Scientists once thought argonauts just borrowed empty shells like hermit crabs do. But in the 1800s, a smart marine biologist named Jeanne Villepreux-Power watched argonauts grow and proved they actually build their own shells from scratch.

Floating and protecting. The argonaut's shell is not like a true nautilus shell with gas chambers inside. Instead, it works as a nursery for eggs and can trap air from the surface to help the octopus float in the water.

Mothers stay close. Female argonauts use their shells as brood chambers to safely hold and protect their developing babies until they are ready to hatch and swim away.

Ocean wanderers. Argonauts are pelagic, which means they drift through the open ocean rather than living on the seafloor like many other octopuses do.