Emperor nautilus
Nautilus pompilius
Valid name (WoRMS, AphiaID 216384, checked 2026-10-31).
Possibly present in the Maldives
- English
- Emperor nautilus
- Scientific
- Nautilus pompilius
- Dhivehi
- No recorded Dhivehi name
- Family
- Nautilidae (nautiluses)
- Maximum size
- Up to about 22.2 cm (length)
- Depth and habitat
- Reef-associated, recorded from 0 to 750 m
- IUCN status
- NE · Not EvaluatedNot Evaluated (NE)CITES Appendix II
- Record in the Maldives
- Possibly present
Description
The emperor nautilus is a shelled relative of octopus and squid, with a smooth, coiled shell striped in red-brown and white and up to about 20 cm across. It lives on deep reef slopes, usually between about 100 and 500 m, rising to shallower water at night, and controls its buoyancy with gas in the shell's chambers. It is listed on CITES Appendix II.
In the Maldives
Known in the Maldives mainly from drifted empty shells; the living animal lives far below diving depth. Recorded from the Maldives: iNaturalist research-grade observations in the Maldives (n=1).
Sources
- sealifebase.se /summary/Nautilus-pompilius.html
- marinespecies.org /aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=216384
- inaturalist.org /taxa/123467
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Nautilus_pompilius_(detail).jpg
Dhivehi name source: No species-level Dhivehi name found in Dhivehi Wikipedia, SeaLifeBase (country: Maldives) or MRS/MMRI invertebrate publications.