First nautiloids spotted from E/V Nautilus on last dive of season! | Nautilus Live

The last ROV Hercules dive of 2024 certainly was the grand finale of the season: our Corps of Exploration witnessed four Palau nautilus individuals (Nautilus belauensis) in Palau’s German Channel! These are the first sightings of nautiloids — the most primitive cephalopods — from E/V Nautilus after 1000+ ROV dives over the last 15 years of operations. This marine mollusk found in the Indo-Pacific is rarely photographed- let alone caught on video -and 2024’s expeditions represent the first of OET’s adventures within the nautilus’s expected distribution range.

Founder Dr. Robert Ballard named OET’s ship E/V Nautilus after the famous fictional submarine from the novel “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” Similar to the vertical movements of submarines, nautiluses are known for moving up and down in the water column. The name "nautilus" comes from the Greek word for "sailor." The individuals from this expedition were spotted at at depths between 220 to 375 meters during ROV dive H2085.

Learn more about the NA169 expedition, funded by NOAA Ocean Exploration via the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute: nautiluslive.org/cruise/na169

--

E/V Nautilus is exploring unknown regions of the ocean seeking out new discoveries in biology, geology, and archaeology. Join us 24/7 for live video from the seafloor and to ask questions of our explorers currently aboard Nautilus: https://www.nautiluslive.org.

Follow us on social media for dive updates, expedition highlights, and more:
Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/subscription_...
Facebook:   / nautiluslive  
Twitter:   / evnautilus  
Instagram:   / nautiluslive  
TikTok: @NautilusLive