What is Argonauta?
Q: What is Argonauta?
A: Argonauta is the only living genus in the Argonautidae family, a group of pelagic octopods.
Q: Why are they called paper nautiluses?
A: They are called paper nautiluses because of the paper-thin eggcase that females make, which is an evolutionary innovation unique to the genus Argonauta.
Q: Where are Argonauts found?
A: Argonauts are found in tropical and subtropical waters worldwide, living in the open ocean.
Q: What are some physical characteristics of Argonauts?
A: Argonauta species have a rounded body, eight arms, no fins, very large eyes, and small distal webs. They also have a mantle-funnel locking apparatus, which is a unique way to identify the genus.
Q: How do Argonauts differ from octopuses?
A: Unlike octopuses, which live on the seabed, argonauts live close to the sea surface.
Q: What do Argonauts lack that other related genera have?
A: Argonauta species lack water pores, unlike the closely related genera Ocythoe and Tremoctopus.
Q: What is unique about the eggcase that female Argonauts make?
A: The eggcase that female Argonauts make is a paper-thin structure without gas-filled chambers, and is not a true cephalopod shell. It is an evolutionary innovation unique to the genus Argonauta.
