[2] It can be found on fore reef slopes,[3] at depths of 95m-504m (311'-1,653'), though typically preferring a range of 150m-300m (492'-984'), where water temperatures stay around 16.6 °C (61.88°F) and do not go much lower than 9.4 °C (48.92°F).

[4] N. belauensis are highly mobile, epibenthic scavengers and opportunistic predators which rely mostly on scent for finding food.

[5] Its shell characteristic pattern consists of bifurcating brown to red stripes that extend from the umbilicus to the venter without coalescing across the venter[5] with delicate, longitudinally crenulated ridges[2] that produce a distinctive, concentrically lirate pattern.

[3] The body chamber shell wall thickens with deposition of a black layer along the apertural margin and the accentuation of the hyponomic and ocular sinuses.

[3] The Palau nautilus is able to traverse across a wide range of temperatures and great lateral distances in short periods of time.