Paper Nautilus Octopuses
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The argonauts (genus Argonauta, the only extant genus in the Argonautidae family) are a group of pelagic octopuses. They are also called paper nautiluses, referring to the paper-thin eggcase that females secrete. This structure lacks the gas-filled chambers present in chambered nautilus shells and is not a true cephalopod shell, but rather an evolutionary innovation unique to the genus Argonauta. Argonauts use tentacles to grab prey and drag it toward the mouth.
Galleries
Squid, Octopus, and NautilusSource
Winchell, Alexander Sketches of Creation (New York, NY: Harper & Brothers, 1870)
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