Nautilus Shell

[tanystropheus]

I find the Nautilus shell to be exquisitely beautiful and mystical (e.g Fibonacci spiral), but I refuse to purchase any item or remnant (e.g. leather, fur) of an animal or living creature if it means that the animal was unnecessarily hurt or endangered in the process.

I was wondering if it is possible to purchase Nautilus shells that have been left behind by previously dead (not killed or harvested) or fossilized Nautiluses? Does anyone know of any company that takes pride in selling the shells of deceased (by natural death) or extinct Nautiluses?

[DinoLord]

I don't know about extant nautilus, but there are definitely fossil nautiloids out there. They are relatively rare though compared to ammonites, and tend to be a good deal wider. The most easily available ones I can think of are polished specimens hailing from Madagascar (Albian in age IIRC). In my own collection I have one from the Kem Kem Beds, though ammonoids/nautiloids from this location are now very rare due to geopolitical conflicts in the area.

[tanystropheus]

It seems like it might be a bit of a hassle to get a hold of these...Perhaps, I should look for replicas, instead...

[DinoLord]

There are a lot for sale on eBay and from other fossil vendors. They're not as cheap as the more commonly found ammonites from Madagascar but are still pretty affordable. There are some mislabeled listings that are just ammonites, but you can tell the difference by the width of the shell and the septa (the lines separating the shell chambers). Note the width and straight septa of this Madagascan nautilus:



Compared to this Madagascan ammonite, which has a much thinner shell with very complex septa:

[tanystropheus]

Thank you That was quite informative. Some of the more aesthetically pleasing shells do seem to be a bit expensive, though. I will look into it.