Nautilus The Biology and Paleobiology of a Living Fossil

About this book

This volume is a reprint of a classic book about Nautilus, first published in 1987, with an introductory chapter summarizing all of the work on Nautilus and its habitat since the publication of the first edition more than 20 years ago. The surge in articles in the last two decades indicates an expanded interest in the subject, reflecting a renewed appreciation of the complexity and fragility of the marine habitat and its biota. The 37 chapters are written by 48 experts in the field and cover all aspects of this living fossil from its ecology to its embryology. Nautilus: The Biology and Paleobiology of a Living Fossil also features new photos, including an impressive image of the first hatched Nautilus in captivity. Nautilus is an iconic animal in the marine realm and represents part of the diverse fauna of the Indo-Pacific. It is also a member of a lineage of shelled cephalopods dating back more than 400 million years.

Contents

I Nautilus Studies -- The first twenty-two centuries
II The Ancestry of the Genus Nautilus
III Nautilus and its Distribution
IV Ecology
V Physiology
VI Metabolism
VII Reproduction and Growth
VIII The Shell and its Architecture
IX Swimming and Buoyancy
X Aquarium Maintenance

Customer Reviews

Biography

W. Bruce Saunders is Professor, Department of Geology, Bryn Mawr College. He has studied Nautilus for over 30 years, including field work in the Indo-Pacific, especially Palau and Papua New Guinea. He has worked on the ecology, habitat, and life history of Nautilus, and discovered the first living populations of Allonautilus scrobiculatus.

Neil H. Landman is Curator, Division of Paleontology (Invertebrates), American Museum of Natural History. He is an expert on shelled cephalopods including Nautilus and ammonites and the co-editor of the books Cephalopods Present and Past: New Insights and Fresh Perspectives (2007), and Ammonite Paleobiology (1996), both published by Springer.