The "stovepipe sponge" (Aplysina archeri), is a species of sponge that has long tube-like structures. A single tube can grow up to 5 feet (1.5 m) high and 3 inches (7.6 cm) thick. These sponges mostly live in the Atlantic Ocean, or specifically, the Caribbean, Bahamas, Florida and Bonaire. They are filter feeders, which means that they eat food such as plankton or detritus as it passes them. These sponges take hundreds of years to grow and never stop growing until they die. The population of these sponges is going down because of pollution.
|