Eco Mural 7: Nautili
Location: Choy Wong Kitchen, Philadelphia, PA.
Artist: Designed, illustrated, and painted by Olivia Losee-Unger
The Iconic Nautilus
Few creatures have captured the imagination of artists, writers, scientists, mathematicians, and paleontologists as much as the chambered nautilus. Nautili are classified as within Cephalopoda, the same family as octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish. Unlike their soft-bodied cousins, nautili are the only cephalopods that protect themselves with a chambered shell. This shell has two major features that have fascinated humans since the Nautilus’ discovery. These are the pearly, luminescent nacre that lines the inside of the shell, and the iconic compartments spiraling outwards in near-perfect symmetry. As early as the Renaissance, its shell can be found in jewelry, furniture, art, and decoration. However, our obsession with harvesting the nautilus’ shell has caused the species irrevocable harm in the past few centuries: nautilus populations today are dangerously low, teetering at near-extinction due to overfishing, pollution, and environmental degradation. It is more important than ever to understand the nautilus before its memory is relegated to curios kept on display.
Living Fossils in Changing World
Nautili are found in and around the coral reef slopes of the Indo-Pacific, feeding on a wide variety of crustaceans, small fish, and invertebrates. Beyond their beauty, nautili shells serve many functions: they provide protection, camouflage, and work to maintain a nautilus’ buoyancy. The chambers work like the ballast tanks in a submarine, filling and expelling water to adjust the nautilus’ depth. Most deep-water species have evolved under extreme pressure and will perish if brought to the surface; the Nautilus is an exception to this rule. Although nautili are thought to be primarily deep-sea animals, usually preferring to dwell at about 2,000 feet below sea level, they are often seen rising in the water column to eat and are not affected by the extreme swings in pressure.
Nautili are some of the oldest unchanged modern animals known to paleontology. They are often dubbed “living fossils”, having extremely similar relatives dating back over 500 million years, to the late Cambrian period. Like sharks, horseshoe crabs, and alligators, the evolutionary design of nautili has differed little since the time of the dinosaurs. Ancestors of the Nautilus have survived mass extinctions, ice ages, and meteor strikes–but the greatest challenge in their half-a-billion-year history has proven to be environmental interference by humans.
Recently, scientists have grown alarmed about the state of nautilus populations. Because they are deep-sea dwellers, their numbers are difficult to track. But we can estimate the damage done by examining the number of shells harvested and traded within the United States yearly: over 100,000. As nautili face a rapidly changing ocean, they also contend with human greed and brutality, as hundreds of thousands are stolen from their habitats each year to be sold for decoration. Certain animals might be able to bounce back from predation that intense, but nautili are slow to mature and have a comparatively short reproductive cycle: they only reach sexual maturity at age 15. Most nautili live to about 20, so they are only reproducing for the final quarter of their lives. In an already difficult and unpredictable environment, the odds are stacked against nautili reaching sexual maturity in the best of circumstances.
In addition to poaching, nautili must contend with a rapidly changing environment. Warming ocean temperatures are bleaching corals around the world at an alarming rate. As nautili spend their lives in the deep water around the base of coral beds, they will find their prey to be more and more scarce as corals die away. Our oceans are more polluted than ever, with plastics now infiltrating the deepest parts of the ocean. Preventing the loss of this precious and ancient species requires a multifaceted approach: pollution and carbon dioxide output must be curbed, and nautili must receive further protections under CITIES or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
Nautili are especially vulnerable to overfishing and environmental degradation due to their low mobility, their slow maturity, and short reproductive window. We must act now as stewards of our oceans to ensure that these creatures receive the protections they deserve.
A lovely example of the many pieces of literature created about nautili
The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr:
This is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign,
Sails the unshadowed main,—
The venturous bark that flings
On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings
In gulfs enchanted, where the Siren sings,
And coral reefs lie bare,
Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair.
Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl;
Wrecked is the ship of pearl!
And every chambered cell,
Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell,
As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell,
Before thee lies revealed,—
Its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed!
Year after year beheld the silent toil
That spread his lustrous coil;
Still, as the spiral grew,
He left the past year’s dwelling for the new,
Stole with soft step its shining archway through,
Built up its idle door,
Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.
Thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee,
Child of the wandering sea,
Cast from her lap, forlorn!
From thy dead lips a clearer note is born
Than ever Triton blew from wreathèd horn!
While on mine ear it rings,
Through the deep caves of thought I hear a voice that sings:—
Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,
As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life’s unresting sea!
About the Eco Mural and Wild Medicine Projects
The Eco Mural Project by Hagopian Arts is an ongoing series of public art installations designed to educate and inspire action on ecological and cultural issues. Each mural is a meticulously detailed, one-of-a-kind piece, blending vibrant artistry with rigorous research. These murals transport viewers into immersive natural environments, revitalizing urban spaces while addressing pressing concerns about environmental degradation.
Within this initiative, the Wild Medicine Eco Mural Project focuses specifically on the cultural heritage of medicinal plants. Through detailed depictions and thoughtful programming, the series highlights the historical, cultural, and healing significance of plants, fostering a deeper connection between individuals and the natural world.
The Eco Mural Project is rooted in the belief that reconnecting communities with nature can profoundly impact mental and physical health. These murals showcase the beauty of local flora and fauna, enlivening public spaces and encouraging residents to see their environment in a new light. This engagement inspires a sense of pride, belonging, and collective responsibility for the natural world. To enhance accessibility, each mural includes a scannable QR code linking viewers to a webpage that provides detailed information about the artwork, the plants featured, and their historical and cultural significance. These pages also honor Indigenous histories by sharing the uses, markers, and cultural associations of the depicted flora and fauna.
Community-Driven Programming and Collaborations Hagopian Arts amplifies the impact of its murals through live events, educational initiatives, and community partnerships that engage people across generations and cultures.
Highlighting Interconnectivity: Eco Mural 20
As part of the Wild Medicine Eco Mural Project, Hagopian Arts created Eco Mural 20: Artelo to celebrate the interdependent relationships between plants, pollinators, and human communities. This mural was a collaborative effort with Square Roots Collective and 14 other public artists contributing uniquely to the Artelo hotel project. While each artist brought a distinct vision to the hotel’s art-filled rooms, Hagopian Arts focused on the ecological and cultural themes central to the Wild Medicine Eco Mural Project.
To expand its reach, Hagopian Arts hosted interactive workshops that engaged community members in the creative process: At Hyacinth Montessori School in West Philadelphia, children aged 6–12 participated in a painting workshop, learning about local flora and pollinators while contributing sections to the mural. This activity incorporated yoga and mindfulness practices led by Breathe Moore, blending creativity and well-being.
At John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, community members painted portions of the mural while learning about the featured species and their roles in local ecosystems.
In September 2024, Hagopian Arts partnered with the Kennett Trails Alliance and Artelo for a public mural painting event during the Hispanic Heritage Festival in Kennett Square. Using a paint-by-number system and hand-mixed colors, participants painted sections inspired by the flora, fauna, and geometric patterns of Eco Mural 20. The mural, once finalized by Hagopian Arts, will be installed in Kennett Square in 2025, further expanding its impact and reach.
Honoring Indigenous Histories and Local Ecosystems
A standout project in the Wild Medicine Series is Eco Mural 21 at Bartram’s Garden, a series of freestanding mini murals showcasing medicinal plants historically used by the Lenni Lenape people. Designed with community input, the murals feature local flora, Lenape beadwork patterns, and depictions of children on the riverbank where passionflowers grow.
Hagopian Arts conducted extensive research into Bartram’s Garden’s historical catalog to honor the Lenape people’s contributions and highlight the cultural significance of the plants. At the unveiling event on September 15th, Melaney Gilchrist, a West Philadelphia herbalist, and mindfulness yoga practitioner Nakesha Moore of Breathe Moore led workshops for community families. These sessions explored the medicinal properties of the plants while fostering connections between art, history, and wellness practices.
Through its murals and programming, Hagopian Arts creates vibrant spaces for education, inspiration, and dialogue. The Eco Mural Project bridges art and environmental advocacy, encouraging communities to cherish their local ecosystems and honor the cultural and historical ties that bind them to the natural world.
Wild Medicine: A Multidimensional Creative Experience
This live event combined public art, botanical installations, body-painted models, and performance art to merge the worlds of creativity and herbal wisdom. Hosted in collaboration with women artists, herbalists, and grassroots organizers, the event invited participants to explore the healing connections between art and nature.
Ancient Ancestral Connections
Eco Mural 18: Women’s Wild Medicine celebrates the ancestral bond between women and medicinal plants, featuring women from diverse cultural backgrounds alongside flora from their heritage. Installed at Penn OB/GYN, the mural also serves as a pilot for the Women’s Wild Medicine Initiative, a community-driven effort that highlights the healing power of native plants and their historical ties to women.
Hagopian Arts transforms urban landscapes through art that bridges the worlds of ecology, education, and cultural heritage. Each mural is a portal into the hidden wonders of the natural world. By blending intricate artistry with educational outreach, Hagopian Arts inspires communities to rediscover the beauty and importance of the environment they call home.
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Partnership Links:
Choy Wong Kitchen
Learn More & Get Involved:
Save the Nautilus
National Marine Fisheries Service - Chambered Nautilus Endangered