Friday 15 March 2013

Goiter Sponge

Image: NOAA
Heterochone calyx
What? Don't tell me they're still using gramophones in the deep sea?

Image: NOAA
Heterochone calyx is a kind of deep sea Glass Sponge. It looks like the result of bullying in a pottery class. Some guy just prodded it with his fingers over and over again and now it's ruined.

Image: NOAA
It can reach over a metre (3 feet) across so a witch could actually cook up a couple of children in there. Maybe I was a little hasty in calling that guy a bully?

Image: NOAA
Like any sponge, they filter tasty bacteria and other consumables from the water. Unlike most sponges, H. calyx also forms deep sea sponge reefs. Their dense, silica skeletons persist after death, forming an ideal substrate for yet more sponges.

Take that one gramophone and turn it into five. It's called progress.

4 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

i was worried that it would be gross looking with that name. but it's actually kind of cute!

Joseph JG said...

I don't where that name came from. I'm glad it doesn't look like it deserves it!

Petronela said...

I was actually looking for an interesting idea of a creature for my story :). fascinating.

Joseph JG said...

Cool! Lots of interesting ideas around here!