Glass sponge is a creature that lives on the deep seabed and is named for its glass-like complex skeleton structure.
The most famous glass sponge is shown in the picture, which lives in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and is a kind of old cave. It is commonly referred to as the "Venus Flower Basket", and the skeleton of this sponge can be used to capture and feed on some specific species of crustaceans.
Glass sponges of the order Hexacae usually live on the deep seafloor. Among their tissues is a glass-like, particle structure of silica called a bone needle (which is where its name comes from). Some glass sponges can grow huge bone needles, which come together to form a beautiful pattern to form a "glass house" - a complex structure that will remain intact even if the sponge is dead. This skeleton structure of glass sponges, as well as various chemicals, can defend against many predators. But despite such a good defense system, some starfish feed on this rare deep-sea creature.
Most of the areas where glass sponges live are close to the rocky surface, and they feed on small bacteria and plankton by filtering the surrounding seawater. Their complex and delicate skeletons provide a place for other creatures to inhabit.
The most famous glass sponge belongs to the "Venus Flower Basket", which can be used to capture some specific species of crustaceans and feed on them. This sponge often cohabits with small, shrimp-like hedgehog shrimp, which often enter the sponge from the juvenile stage and spend their entire lives inside the sponge. The crustaceans breed offspring inside sponges, and when they are still very small, they flee the old sponges and look for new Venus baskets of their own. A pair of sponges left in the basket clean the inside of the sponge, which also provides food for crustaceans through their own metabolites in return. Finally, the crustaceans grew too big to leave the sponge, so they were paired up in pairs and permanently imprisoned in the cavity of the old companion' cave. (Merged with the old man in the same cave, never separated from the other, the same as the couple, so the name of the shrimp, and the sponge where the residence is called "the old man with the cave".) In Japan, people use it as a symbol of love loyalty and as a wedding gift. ）
(The above pictures are from the Internet)
Organized from: Boundless Deep Blue Betterblue
Collect | herany
Proofreader | Kong Yue Elizabeth
Translated | Herany
Source| National Oceanservice
【This article is from the Landdivers Translation Volunteer Program】