Nautilus Natural Seashell 100% order Genuine Specimen Cut Worldwide BCR052 *CERTIFICATED*

All of our Seashells are 100% Genuine, from sustainable and ethical sources, with a Certificate of Authenticity


Specimen: Nautilus Natural Seashell
Classification: Linne
Location: Worldwide
Size: 159 x 83 x 91mm (6.26 x 3.27 x 3.58 inches)

Selected shell from approved sources for crafts and interior decoration.

Background: Having survived relatively unchanged for millions of years, nautilus are often considered to be "living fossils”, indeed ammonites are a related extinct species.

When seen from the top, the natural shell is darker in colour and marked with irregular stripes, which makes it blend into the darkness of the water below. Converseley, the underside is almost completely white, making it indistinguishable from brighter waters near the ocean's surface. Whilst the shells frequent waters around 300m below the surface, the shell is capable of withstanding pressures down to 500m.

The shell is internally divided into chambers. As the nautilus matures its body moves forward, sealing the chamber behind it. The last fully open chamber being used as the living chamber. The number of chambers increases from around four at the moment of hatching to often more than thirty in adults.

Ecological Note:

Concern has been expressed over suspected dwindling numbers of Nautilus.

As the cephalopods generally live at depths of between 100m and 500m it is difficult for scientists to absolutely quantify numbers in the wild. However, anecdotal evidence form fishermen and comparison of number counts and size of specimens from fished areas and protected marine environments suggest that in some localities of the world overfishing is becoming a problem.

Whilst the lifecycle of Nautilus is not fully understood, it is known that the creature can take up to ten years to reach sexual maturity and even then the species does not produce a free swimming larval stage, making it order difficult for it to re-colonise areas should numbers become depleted.

We will continue to monitor the situation, and at all times work within agreed International Conventions and the Law of exporting countrie


ACTUAL AS SEEN: The image shows the EXACT specimen you will receive. The specimen has been carefully hand selected and photographed. Measurements are as accurate as possible, though be aware measuring precise dimensions can be difficult from irregular shaped items. Whilst we portray colours as close to life-like as we can, colours will vary if taken in sunlight, indoors, from monitor to monitor and device to device. Once this specimen is sold, we will update this listing with new similar selected item, with a new photo and dimensions.