RARE ARGONAUTA PAPER NAUTILUS SHELL Sea of Cortz, Mx.
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This shell is a very rare Argonauta (paper nautilus) which came from a stranding in the Sea of Cortez in Baja, California, Mexico about 6 years ago. I believe it to be a nouryl, one of the rarest Argonauta species that can only be found in the waters around Mexico and Baja California. This shell can be identified by its elongate shape, white or cream color with the oldest tubercles having a brownish pigmentation. The surface of this shell is ridged and has a large number of tubercles. It is about 3 1/2" long and 2" high, one of the larger of my speciman shells.This one is near perfect with smooth edges and 3 pinholes just behind the head as shown. The shell that is pictured is the one that you will receive. Shells, like people, are all different. Because it is so fragile and often broken on arrival at the beaches, t are few good examples available. This is an example of a cephalopod which are of great interest to the scientific community since they are believed to have appeared during the late Cambrian Period, more than 400 million years before the first primitive fish began swimming in the ocean. They were once the dominant life form of the world's oceans and at present 650 living species are believed to be in existence. It has a pelagic existence, traveling the globe in free ocean water away from the bottom and near the surface
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