Orange Sponge

Stylissa sp.

Habitat & Distribution :  Pacific Ocean

Diet: Microscopic organic materials

Size: Up to 50 cm

Lifespan: 100+ years

Description

The Orange Sea Sponge is a sessile marine animal, meaning it cannot move around like coral reefs. This sponge belongs to the class Demospongia, a class of sponges with a skeleton composed of the protein spongin and 'spicules' made of the mineral silica.

Behavior

Unlike corals, sponges lack zooxanthellae for photosynthesis and obtain their food by filtering particles from the water through pores on the sides of their bodies (ostia). The digested remains are excreted through an opening on the upper side of their bodies (osculum).

Reproduction

Sponges can reproduce asexually by budding or fragmentation, when one part of the sponge's body breaks off and attaches to a particular medium, the broken sponge will develop into a new sponge.

Predators

Angelfish, boxfish, filefish, pufferfish