On December 3, 2024, an Ocean Exploration Trust remotely operated vehicle spotted four Palau nautiluses in Palau’s German Channel. It was the first nautiloid sighting from the exploration vessel Nautilus in more than 1,000 ROV dives over 15 years—not the discovery of a new species, nor the first time scientists had ever seen a nautilus. The “unchanged since the dinosaurs” description is a shorthand for an ancient lineage, not a literal claim that today’s animals have remained unchanged for millions of years.
What was discovered in Palau?
The encounter took place during ROV dive H2085 in German Channel, Palau. The vehicle recorded four Palau nautiluses (Nautilus belauensis), according to the Ocean Exploration Trust (OET). OET announced the sighting on December 3, 2024, describing it as the first nautiloid sighting from E/V Nautilus after more than 1,000 ROV dives during the vessel’s 15 years of operations. OET’s December 3 announcement identifies the expedition as NA169, funded by NOAA Ocean Exploration through the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute.
That “first” is specific to this ship’s exploration program. The nautilus was already a known animal; the milestone was that OET’s ROVs had not previously seen a nautiloid during the vessel’s many dives. The encounter occurred on the season’s final ROV Hercules dive.
Why did the ROV encounter one only now?
The Palau nautilus lives on reef slopes at reported depths of 95–504 meters, as stated in OET’s release. OET says its ROVs often work much deeper, at 1,000–4,000 meters, and that the ship had spent limited time in the nautilus’s depth range. Those factors help explain why this was the program’s first sighting; they do not mean the species had escaped all scientific observation.
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The difference is a matter of where and how often the vehicle explored. A deep-sea ROV may spend much of a dive well below the habitat where this species is reported to live. The Palau animals were encountered within the depth range accessible during the dive.
Has the Palau nautilus really not changed since the dinosaurs?
Not literally. OET’s December 9 account describes several different timescales: it places the Nautilida family at around 200 million years old, the genus Nautilus at around 38 million years old, and the broader nautiloid lineage at nearly 500 million years when extinct ancestors are included. These are source-reported evolutionary estimates, not measurements made during the 2024 dive. OET’s account of the sighting traces that history through fossil remains of extinct relatives.
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Those dates refer to lineages at different taxonomic levels, not to the age of the living Palau species. A lineage can persist while its members continue to evolve. Expedition leader Samantha Wishnak called it “surreal to encounter an animal whose body plan and behaviors have barely changed since the age of the dinosaurs,” in OET’s release. That is her description of the experience, not a formal measurement showing that the modern species is unchanged.
What is the Palau nautilus like?
OET describes the Palau nautilus as a mobile scavenger and predator on reef slopes. It also reports a daily vertical migration: the animals move into shallower water after dark and descend again before sunlight. This behavior, common among some marine animals, is known as diel vertical migration.
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OET’s December 2024 release calls the species Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. That is the classification reported in the release; this article does not independently confirm whether the listing has changed since then. OET’s expedition account also says nautiluses are protected under CITES and reports that some regional populations have been fished close to extinction for their shells, while describing Palau’s population as healthy and stable. That Palau-specific assessment should not be generalized to other populations, and rules for trade or collection depend on current legal requirements and location.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the sighting matters
The encounter joined two kinds of significance: it was a memorable first for the OET vessel’s exploration program, and it offered a rare opportunity to see a nautilus in its natural habitat on video. Its scientific and historical interest comes from the animal’s place in a long-lived group—not from the idea that an individual species has stayed identical since prehistoric times.
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The distinction matters whenever “living fossil” language is used. The fossil record reveals a deep history of related forms; it does not establish that modern nautiluses stopped evolving. The 2024 observation is best understood as a notable ROV sighting of a known species in Palau, set against the much longer history of its relatives.
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- Versatile Display Piece for Multiple Settings: Perfect for home decor on shelves, coffee tables, or in glass cabinets, office desk accent bringing a touch of oceanic elegance to any workspace, aquarium ornament adding visual interest to aquatic displays, or photography prop for creative and nature-themed projects.
- Ideal for Collectors and Marine Enthusiasts: A thoughtful addition to any nautilus, cephalopod, or marine life figurine collection. Suitable for seashell collectors, marine biology admirers, nature photographers, or anyone who appreciates finely crafted ocean-inspired artistry.
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