🤠 It’s a Jellyfish Rodeo for this Octopus! Media by: @stevenkuiter There is isn't an Octopus quite like the Argonaut, also known as the Paper Nautilus. 🌊 This magnificent creature sails the open ocean in tropical and subtropical areas where turtles & jelly fish live (swipe left to see the video!) 🚺Unlike the coconut octopus, who seeks out shells for protection, female paper nautilus grows a paper-thin shell naturally! 🥚 This shell is more of a brood or egg casing (read: baby basket) secreted by the tips of 2 specialized paddle-like arms. 🐚 The casing has thin walls with one chamber where egg strings are anchored to the innermost coil of the shell where she can continually clean, oxygenate, and make sure no parasites harm them!⁣ 🔨 What if a predator breaks the shell? ⁣⁣ If the egg casing becomes damaged, a female can patch the damage or ditch the shell completely rebuild a new one. Argonauts have a super interesting relationship with gelatinous marine species such as jellyfishes and salps What should we call this jelly ride share company? They utilize both salps & jellyfish as food, shelter, camouflage, & protection, since many predators avoid the jellies’ stinging tentacles. If ya read this far comment “Jelly” below— we’ll send more info about these hitchhiking octos! 🏷 #science #nature #biology #marinelife #cuttlefish #octopuses #cephalopods #reef #underwater #diving #oceanconservation #sea #biodiversity #marinebiology #ocean #animals #fish #octopus #natgeo #nationalgeographic #natgeoyourshot #STEM #scuba #scubadiving #underwaterphotography #wildlifephotography #myoctopusteacher