“Living fossils” derive their title from their continued existence over periods of hundreds of millions of years. The shelled creatures known as “nautiluses” submerged in the oceans’ depths are related to other unique animals such as squids and octopuses, yet their fossil records can be traced as far back as 500 million years.
Despite the longevity of the nautilus, only a few laggards speckle the earth’s waters. The reason for the nautiluses’ near-extinction is shell-mining. Their shells boast intricate patterns that have been used throughout the world by collectors and for the designing of items such as special trophies.
Peter Ward, a biology professor at the University of Washington, spotted a specific type of nautilus, the Allonautilus scrobiculatus, in the water bodies surrounding Papua New Guinea recently, making it the first sighting of one since 1984. A bait system of chicken meat tied to a pole was placed hundreds of feet below the ocean’s surface. Cameras captured the creatures rising from the seas’ depths last month, noted Forbes. The researchers also made a new discovery about this nautilus: the slimy, hairy layer on the outside of its shell.
Said Ward in the Christian Science Monitor, “This could be the rarest animal in the world. We need to know if Allonautilus is anywhere else.” Next month, the US Fish and Wildlife Service will determine whether nautiluses becoming internationally protected creatures. At the moment, shell-mining still threatens the dwindling population, even though scientists are just now beginning to learn about what has made the nautilus so resilient.
This could be the rarest animal in the world. We need to know if Allonautilus is anywhere else.
A few other species have come back onto the radar of humanity this year, including the red colombus monkey spotted by crowdfunded explorers along the Bokiba River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Gray wolves were also seen for the first time in California in nearly a century.
The nautilus is not the only living thing under review concerning its endangerment. Minnesota Blanding’s Turtle and the Arizona Toad are also being reviewed.
