MARCH 2025: Argonauta argo Linnaeus, 1758 MBCN 26663
The argonaut is a type of cephalopod mollusk related to the octopus, but unlike the octopus, it does not live on the sea floor. Instead, it swims in the water column at depths of up to 200 meters.
This animal exhibits marked sexual dimorphism, meaning that males and females have very different physical appearances. Females, like the specimen conserved at the MUCBO, are larger in size and have a very thin spiral shell. On the other hand, males lack this shell and generally do not exceed 15 mm in length. These differences are also reflected in their lifestyle. While females hunt and feed on plankton, males feed on salps, distant relatives of vertebrates that build mucous houses in which they live, typically occupied by the males.
In addition to size, males are characterized by having one arm disproportionately larger than the others, which they use for reproduction. When they come into contact with a female, males detach this arm, filled with sperm (similar to how lizards shed their tails), and the female stores it inside her shell until she finds the opportunity to use it. Furthermore, inside the same shell, she lays her eggs, which she will incubate until hatching.
- Origin: Balearic Sea (Coasts of Sóller).
- Age: Current.
