+ACampbell Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 The argonauts are a group of octopuses unlike any other. The females secrete a thin, white, brittle shell called the paper nautilus. Nestled with their arms tucked inside this beautiful, translucent home, they drift through the open ocean while other octopus species crawl along the sea floor. The shell is often described as an egg-case, but octopus specialists Julian Finn and Mark Norman have discovered that it has another function - it's an organic ballast tank. An argonaut uses its shell to trap air from the surface and dives to a depth where the encased gas perfectly counteracts its own weight, allowing it to bob effortlessly without rising or sinking. Finn and Norman filmed and photographed live animals in the act of trapping their air bubbles, solving a mystery that has been debated for millennia. View the full article. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmanning Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 Awesome little creatures.....great video!!.....we're fortunate to have marine biologists coming in contact with new sealife. Thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innate1 Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 That's all kinds of cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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