rare pair of collectible paper shells Taxidermy full body...

Argonauta is a genus of cephalopod mollusks belonging to the order Octopoda (octopuses). The most famous species is Argonauta argo, also found in the Mediterranean Sea. This animal is famous for its incredible biological peculiarities: the female possesses two modified tentacles that secrete an extremely thin calcareous hydrodynamic structure (similar to a paper shell). It is not a true biological shell, but a protective "navicella" that the animal uses to float and to guard its eggs. The female can reach the size of an apple. The male, by contrast, is tiny (about the size of a candy or a grain of rice) and has no shell at all. To mate, the male develops a special reproductive tentacle (ectocotile) that literally detaches from its body and swims unaided toward the female to fertilize her. Shortly after, the male dies. A lot featuring two different Argonauta specimens: the more common Argonauta ARGO this time in truly XXL dimensions, 19 cm x 13.5 cm x 5.5 cm and the rarer Argonauta CORNUTA, still sizeable, 8.5 cm x 6.5 cm x 5.5 cm. The Argonauta shows clear signs of organic consolidation while the Argonauta cornuta shows three small holes on the spines due to predator bites. However when placed inside an exhibition on the right side they are exceptional and intact. Base not included, made from reclaimed material and used for photographic purposes only. A necessary clarification. The final image in our photo gallery is obtained with the help of AI software. The purpose is purely aesthetic yet demonstrative: it shows the real object inside an artificially generated setting. The aim is to show how valuable the auction objects are and how well they look in different environments, all extremely refined. Thank you for your attention. Happy bidding.

Estimation:€275

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