I’ve always thought mature chambered nautiluses were pretty darn cute, but the babies are even cuter. What’s fascinating is that they emerge with their shells, which I never would have guessed. It makes sense–other cephalopods that have shells are born with them. I don’t know why I never wondered about it before.
I assume that the conditions were based on extensive research but i could not help hearing a strange internal dialog from the young nautilus that has no basis in reality when i read:
Back in the November, the eggs were laid in the display tank and then removed and placed into an incubator tank where the temperature was maintained at 76 Farenheit. The eggs were glued onto a vertically positioned piece of plastic in order to keep them upright. Water changes using only “extra clean” natural sea water were performed weekly to keep the incubator tank clean.
- OK time to get out of here… Dad? where are you? I know we like to hide the paternal care from the outside world but seriously it is time… DAD??? … Mom? anyone? Oh great time for birth and they decide it is date night.
- Guess I will have to do this by myself but it is cold in here, I know conserving energy is good but seriously i am cold.
- OK lets get ready to wiggle… umm I am upside down and stuck to a wall… this will be harder than I thought… wiggle… push… wiggle…AHA! ok that should have stretched things enough.
- Now all I have to do it let the bacteria eat the membranes that have been ripped by the stretching and I am home free. Oh look reading material over there for while I wait " “extra clean” natural sea water…" Oh @#$%!!! guess not only are Mom and Dad out but the bacteria are as well. Sigh guess i better keep wiggling…
I’d snuggle with that little Cthulhu-esque cutie
LOL, i hope you do write and publish. If not, you should!
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