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Sea Sponge Types

Despite their plant-like appearance, sponges are primitive animals that live in the ocean. Live sponges come in a variety of shapes and colors and although most are relatively small, select species can attain a diameter of over 6 feet. Sponges have neither organs nor true tissues. The internal structure of sponges incorporates a network of chambers and canals that connect to the multiple pores covering the surface of the body. These creatures feed by filtering nutrients from sea water, which they draw in through their pores.

Numerous Species
- Scientists have identified and described over 5,000 different species of sea sponges. These animals vary in body form, size and color. Although many species are encrusting and grow over coral rubble and other reef formations, a number of sea sponges are also freestanding and exhibit dramatic shapes.
Types of Canal Systems
- You can classify the different types of sponges by the type of canal system they possess. Asconoid sponges, which have a cylindrical hollow body design, have a single canal that runs through their structure. These sponges live in groups in shallow water. Syconoid sponges have thicker body walls and a branched canal system. Scientists suspect that this group of sponges may have evolved from the Asconoids. The Syconoids do not normally form aggregations, as do the Asconoid sponges. The Leuconoids possess the most complicated canal system. In these sponges, the long and branched canals lead into numerous chambers. These sponges group together and function like a single communal organism.
Various Shapes
- Sponges come in a number of shapes, including those that resemble cylinders and vases. The majority of sponge species have irregular shapes. They grow on hard surfaces of the coral reef, taking on the shape of the coral skeleton or piece of rock that they are encrusting. The tube sponge is a common species, which you can immediately recognize by its tall tubular formations. This species comes in a number of color variations, including purple, blue, gray and green. The red tree sponge inhabits the Caribbean Sea and is an encrusting species. It prefers areas of diffused light and usually grows on ledges of the reef. Despite its name, the yellow sponge is frequently bright orange in color. The yellow sponge is an encrusting sponge species that spreads over coral rubble and rock formations in the reef environment. The vase sponge is native to the eastern coast of Florida. This sponge is bell-shaped and has a deep central cavity. The vase sponge can reach a height of 3 feet and width of 2 feet. It is purple, red or brown.
Glass Sponges
- The Hexactinellids or glass sponges represent a special group of deep-water marine sponges. Unlike any of the other sponge types, these sponges have skeletons formed from siliceous or glass spicules. A glass sponge's tissue stretches like a cobweb over its skeleton.

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