pearly nautilus

American  

noun

1. nautilus.

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pearly nautilus British  

noun

1. Also called: chambered nautilus.  any of several cephalopod molluscs of the genus Nautilus, esp N. pompilius, of warm and tropical seas, having a partitioned pale pearly external shell with brown stripes Compare paper nautilus

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Etymology

Origin of pearly nautilus

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

Scientists in the 1960s carried out a fundamental biostratigraphic correlation that tied Triassic conodont zonation into ammonoids, which are extinct ancient cousins of the pearly nautilus.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

The Opera House, then, entered the sluggish and provincial context of Australian architecture in the late '50s like some pearly nautilus visiting a mussel bed.

From Time Magazine Archive

But as all the known members of the class, except the pearly nautilus, Nautilus pompilius, have these habits in common, the distinguishing terms are hardly apposite.

From Sea Monsters Unmasked and Sea Fables Explained by Lee, H. W. (Henry William)

The nearest living ally of the ammonites is the pearly nautilus, the other existing cephalopods, such as the squids, cuttle-fish, octopus, etc., are much more distantly related.

From Darwin and Modern Science by Seward, A. C. (Albert Charles)

Surprise him at his books and you'll see tropical seas in his eyes, a pearly nautilus, Hong Kong and Valparaiso resplendent in the dawn.

From The Calm Man by Long, Frank Belknap