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Argonaut or Nautilus?
Argonauts commonly get called 'paper nautiluses'. This name refers to the argonaut's shell being similar in shape to that of the true nautilus. These two groups of animals are very different in form, biology and evolution. The differences are summarised below:
Chambered nautilus
Photo © Julian Finn |
Argonaut
Photo © Julian Finn |
|
| Scientific names | Nautilus, Allonautilus |
Argonauta |
| Shell | Made by both sexes |
Made only by females |
| Shell colour | White with orange radiating stripes on top half |
White with some black on crest of some species |
| Shell shape | Smooth |
Ridges and bumps |
| Animal | Attached in final chamber |
Holds on to shell with suckers |
| Limbs | Around 100 sucker-less tentacles under a leathery hood |
Eight arms with two rows of suckers. No hood |
| Eyes | Simple open pouch without lens |
Closed eye with lens |
| Hearts | One |
Three |
| Gills | Four |
Two |
| Beak | Horny material with calcareous tips |
All horny material |
| Habitat | Deep coral reef faces |
Open ocean |
| Diet | Scavenger, hermit crabs and dead animals |
Free swimming molluscs and shrimp |
| Closest relatives | Extinct ammonites |
Bottom-living octopuses |
