If I was asked to choose a favorite animal, as tough as that question is, the Nautilus would easily be in my top five. It’s such a weird and wonderful creature. I studied the Chambered Nautilus (Nautilus pompilius) during the final year of my Natural History Illustration degree and loved nerding out on its anatomy and behavior. I filled pages of my sketchbooks with notes about it and even sculpted a lifelike model, complete with a real cutaway shell (his name is Neville).
Back in 2017 when the info was fresh in my brain, I recorded a series of stories for Instagram about the Nautilus shell and animal. So many people loved the story that day so I saved it as a highlight called ‘Nautilus Chats’ and it has sat there quietly for the last few years. I was doing a bit of a tidy-up of my Insta profile recently and decided that it was time to retire that particular story highlight. But since so many people seemed to enjoy the chat I decided I would share the video here so it will forever have a place in my corner of the internet.
The video is a bit rough and it was filmed during the time when you could only record 15-second stories, but I think it’s a good little explanation of this wonderful animal and I hope you find it interesting.
Below the video are some more nautilus facts, an anatomy poster I made as well as a few pics of the (many) artworks that I have made inspired by Nautilus shells.
Enjoy nerding out on the Nautilus with me …
I made this Nautilus Anatomy sheet during my university studies. It points out all the various bits and pieces of these amazing animals. It may come in handy at your next trivia night.
A page from my sketchbook focused on nautilus physiology.
Over the years I have made many artworks inspired by the nautilus shell. I have sketchbook pages full of studies of the shells and their beautiful curves and patterns. below are a few shots from my sketchbooks as well as some of my favourite embroidered artworks inspired by these shells.
‘Nautilus Unity’ (2028) is inspired by the internal structures of a nautilus shell and its mathematical perfection. The design features two nautilus shells nestled together like a yin-yang.
The ‘Nautilus S’ (2018) is a design inspired by the patterns on the outside of a nautilus shell.
Orange Nautilus (2014), embroidery thread and pins on paper.
Did you enjoy this post? If your answer was yes, you are going to love this one: