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Dried sponge is sometimes called "Dead man's fingers" and usually has lost all of it's color. They grow on rocks and shells, especially under bridges, where there is sufficient current to bring them the plankton they need to filter for food. |
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Some, like Cliona, the boring sponges (Some say all sponges are boring...) leave their mark on shells that they have partially dissolved away. |
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Boring sponges can smother and weaken the shells of oysters and sometimes dissolve them away completely over time.They can be a nuisance on oyster beds. |
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Sponges are identified by their spicules, minute skeletal structures visible under the microscope. (Left) The Red Beard sponge's spicules are single, spiny-headed styles (acanthostyles) |
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Sponges are often brown, but can range in color from red to green. They are the most primitive animal in Sandy Hook Bay, but an important part of the ecosystem; and one of the most colorful creatures we dredge up on our boat trips. |
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The spider crab (Libinia) is sometimes called the decorator crab because it camouflages itself with sponges and other benthic creatures like bryozoans and tunicates. |
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