Article Summary:

The New York Times reports that the chambered nautilus (Nautilus pompilius) is rapidly becoming threatened due to a massive increase in demand for jewellery and ornamental products made from their shells. Nautilus are the last living genera of externally shelled cephalopods, take 5 to 10 years to reach sexual maturity, and only lay a few eggs per clutch. This makes them very vulnerable to over-fishing as consumer demand for them grows. The article quotes:

“A horrendous slaughter is going on out here,” said Peter D. Ward, a biologist from the University of Washington, during a recent census of the marine creature in the Philippines. “They’re nearly wiped out.”

(Image by Stuart Westmorland.)