Nature’s very own “Golden Ratio”, the Nautilus’ stunning coiled shells are patterned in a very similar way to the Golden Mean Spiral of the infinite Fibonacci Sequence. Because of this, these shells are believed by some to be strongly symbolic of order and perfection. Their fossils featured heavily in Renaissance cabinets of curiosities and were fashioned into extravagant Nautilus shell cups.

The Nautilus is a member of the cephalopod family along with octopuses, squid, and the extinct ammonites. Considered a “living fossil”, species similar to the ancient Nautilus still exist in the deep coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Over the past 500 million years, the evolution of the Nautilus has been slow and minimal, so the fossils found today are very similar to the living Nautilus animals.

Madagascar

This Nautilus is approximately 11 inches tall.