EOC 162: Saving the Nautilus
The chambered nautilus is the only living descendant of a group of ocean creatures that thrived in the seas 500 million years ago when the earth’s continents were still forming. Older than the dinosaurs, these deep sea dwellers are often referred to as the oldest living fossils. But, after withstanding countless challenges, they are being sought after for their beauty and dwindling toward extinction. A young activist and several curious scientists traveled to Fiji recently on an expedition to learn more about this ancient animal and how to save it. Gianna Savoie traveled with them to capture some of the story of this threatened ancient animal and the work being done to rescue it. I spoke with this filmmaker and founder of Ocean Media Institute, a non-profit conservation organization based in Bozeman, MT, to learn more about their adventure and her work as a science storyteller on behalf of the ocean.