Range: Oceans worldwide Habitat: Open ocean toward the surface in tropical and subtropical waters Size: Up to 0.4 inches (1cm) for males; Up to 1.96 inches (5cm) long for females Diet: Ssea slugs, sea snails, small fish, and crustaceans Threats: Tuna, sharks, squids, marine mammals, penguins, and other marine birds Life span: Unknown

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about argonauts. These animals have another common name, but it causes some confusion. Argonauts are also known as paper nautiluses, but they aren’t related to nautiluses we’ve discussed in a previous episode. They’re actually octopuses, and they don’t all have a shell! To avoid any confusion, we’re sticking with the name argonaut throughout this episode, but technically they are also known as paper nautiluses, too - either name is correct.

The name argonaut likely comes from the flaps found on female argonauts which look like they could catch the wind in a way similar to the sails of a ship. In fact, this name has even led to the myth that argonauts do ride the wind and move around in a way that’s similar to the portuguese man of war we’ve talked about in the past; however, these argonauts do not travel the oceans using wind currents. They move around the same way many cephalopods do - using jet propulsion.

There are fewer than ten accepted species of argonauts, and they are generally considered rare - though they aren’t listed endangered or anything like that. They’re just not typically seen by people. Argonauts live in the open ocean typically towards the ocean’s surface. They generally aren’t seen in gulfs because places like this tend to house more predators, which the argonauts would be happy to avoid!

As a whole, argonauts are considered a cosmopolitan group - meaning they’re found all around the world, and generally inhabit tropical and subtropical waters, though some species are more confined to certain parts of the world, such as the rough keeled argonaut which is mainly found throughout the Pacific near the Americas. Female argonauts also seem to have a propensity for attaching to floating debris in the ocean. They’ve been found clinging to drifting seaweed and have even formed large chains of more than twenty individuals holding on to one another. This behavior is mostly known for females because males are so tiny they’re barely perceptible!

Argonauts display sexual dimorphism because the ladies are much, much larger than the males. Male argonauts barely reach more than a centimeter in length while female argonauts may be more than five times longer! Plus, males don’t grow shells - only female argonauts form shells. And really, they aren’t exactly shells, they’re actually egg chambers.

Argonauts breed via a male detaching his reproductive arm - which carries his sperm - in the female’s body. Using her two flappy looking arms, which are called ‘dorsal arms’, the female argonaut will develop the shell in which her eggs will be encapsulated. She will hold herself in the shell with these same arms, and the shell may be flexible. She can also repair the shell if it breaks, or completely rebuild it if needed. Eventually, she’ll have so many eggs that she’s pushed from her shell and the babies will hatch. It’s likely that argonauts perish shortly after the reproductive period, as this a common occurrence in many cephalopod species.

Argonauts may also succumb to predators including tuna, sharks, squids, marine mammals, penguins, and other marine birds; but, they come equipped with ink if they need to try and make a quick escape. On the flipside, argonauts eat sea slugs, sea snails, small fish, and crustaceans.

For more facts on argonauts, check out the links in the description. Thank you to Remanje Carter for today’s request. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.