Continuously in awe of the deep sea 🤩
The fingered goblet sponge (Heterochone calyx) is one of the largest sponges on the Pacific coast. Their funnel-shaped bodies can grow up to two meters (nearly seven feet) tall and fan out two meters (nearly seven feet) across. Remarkably, the skeleton of this massive animal is made of microscopic slivers of silica glass called spicules. As the sponge grows, the glass spicules fuse together, creating rigid joints in between. This intricate three-dimensional structure remains intact long after the tissues die.
The fingered goblet sponge is a filter-feeder that strains tiny plankton, bacteria, and organic material from seawater. They unlock carbon for their neighbors on the deep seafloor, making nutrients available to other animals that eat parts of the sponge or consume the sponge’s waste.
We have observed dense gardens of Heterochone and other sponges on Sur Ridge, offshore of Central California. But in some places, Heterochone grows together with other sponge species to form massive reef structures. Dead sponge skeletons provide the foundation for these reefs. Off British Columbia, sprawling sponge reefs can span more than 700 square kilometers (270 square miles) and are estimated to be thousands of years old.