Nautilus shells from a Yellowfin Tuna
Submitted by Lucky Tim on Fri, 2009-03-20 18:41
Just going through some of my photos. When I was cleaning a 6kg yellowfin tuna earlier this year I found about 15-20 of these in its stomach. Anyone else found anything similar in their stomachs? Wouldn't have thought a pelagic like them would eat something like this.
Rick
Posts: 1119
Date Joined: 22/12/06
Odd..
Tim was it caught locally of up north ?
Strange diet. I thought the nautilus was cold water creature and very deep too.
Will watch with interest to see what those with all the knowledge say.....
PGFC Member
Lucky Tim
Posts: 2536
Date Joined: 28/11/07
Yeah it was caught up north
Yeah it was caught up north of Broome in about 100m of water. If it was just one I probably wouldn't have been curious but there were too many in its stomach to have been a mistake.
dumper
Posts: 1027
Date Joined: 03/04/08
They might be parasitic
They might be parasitic worms, seen similar looking ooglies in wahoo too.
Auslobster
Posts: 1901
Date Joined: 03/05/08
Nautilus...
...same family as squid/occy/cuttlefish (cephalopods). They migrate vertically between night and day, from the very deep right up to the surface, which would explain why the tuna have access to them.
Yellowfin are noted for eating vast quantities of very small tucker, even down to the plankton stage. There is a photo from Christmas Island of a whale shark feeding on tiny shrimp (krill) while surrounded by a school of YFT's doing the same thing.
Don't know why they'll happily go a large lure like a Laser Pro 190 but they do so I guess it means we're all in with a chance! Have to see if Halco make a "nautilus" coloured one!
wopjrb
Posts: 1407
Date Joined: 05/03/09
nautilus shells swim on the surface up north
seen em in 85m of water of montes at night.
bonitofish
Posts: 13
Date Joined: 14/02/09
what
far out! r they nautilis!