Huge, 8.4" Polished Fossil Nautilus - Madagascar

This is a 8.4" fossil Nautilus (Nautilidae) from Ambatalafia, Mahajanga Province, Madagascar. This beautiful specimen has been polished to a glossy finish. This highlights the iridescent qualities of the inner shell. At the narrow part the shell the septa can be seen where the inner and outer shell have been removed. This specimen has an impact point on the center line of the shell.

The septa are shell walls that divide the internal area of the shell into compartments. As the animal outgrows the compartment it is living in, it grows new shell and a septa divides the new compartment from the old. These compartments are important in helping the animal maintain buoyancy, balance, and position in the water.

Nautilus are "living fossils" in that species similar to this one still exist in our oceans.