Some deep-sea glass sponges for #spongeThursday! from the North Pacific-Hawaiian Islands region. Photo by Henry Reiswig, 2001. #spongeThursday

Some glass sponges may be the oldest animals on Earth. Individuals of Monorhaphis chuni are estimated at over 11,000 years old, and they build a single skeletal spike up to 3m long, the largest natural glass structure any animal makes. 🧪 #SpongeThursday #HowToBuildAGiant #marinelife

Especially on the subaqua branches of the bankside Willows, & sheet pilings in their shade, spectacular growths of Freshwater Sponges (Spongillidae). Here in the lower River Little Ouse, where the flow is slow, it needs these finger like growths to 📈 surface area for filter feeding. #SpongeThursday

Another incredibly elongate deep-sea stalked sponge! at 3093 m, east basin seamount, American Samoa #spongeThursday #Okeanos

A fallen glass sponge showing off its holdfast! yes. glass fibers! very much like fiber optic cable! #spongeThursday #okeanos 3115 m east basin seamount, American Samoa

Another impressively large Saccocalyx stalked glass sponge, 3170 m east basin seamount, American Samoa #okeanos #spongeThursday

Stalked glass sponge, Caulophacus, 3190 m east basin seamount, American Samoa #spongeThursday #okeanos

MORE glass sponge love! 3245 m #Okeanos lovely fiber optic stalk! #spongeThursday

GLASS SPONGE showing off a very fibrous stalk! 3255 m south samoa basin seamount, American Samoa #Okeanos #spongeThursday

Alaskan Sponge diversity news! #spongeThursday www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-stor...

A glass sponge at 5207 m! #okeanos East Muliāva Abyssal Plain #spongethursday

A cute little glass sponge in the Bolosominae, LOLLIPOP! depth is 5215. #okeanos East Muliāva Abyssal Plain #spongeThursday

A lovely carnivorous or cladorhizid SPONGE! 5865m Ultra Deep Basin American Samoa #Okeanos #spongeThursday!

A lovely decorative glass sponge with interesting bits! at 3807 m East Muliava seamount American Samoa, #okeanos
#spongethursday

Details from behind the sponge showing the convex structure.. showing off the lovely intricacies of the glass sponge stalk and etc. #okeanos about 2 to 3m tall #spongethursday

MORE shots of this Caulophacus sponge, about 50 cm diameter..and 3m tall! The fine details of the surface #okeanos #spongeThursday

Anything calcareous sponges and humans have in common? Both use carbonic anhydrase for biocalcite production, acting as building block for calcareous sponge spicules and bioseeds during mammalian hydroxyapatite formation. Purse sponge from the N Adriatic Sea. #spongeThursday

Young sponge in a plankton sample from the northern Adriatic Sea. Reminds hoplitomella larvae in local waters; perhaps the forthcoming stage, still floating? #SpongeThursday #Plankton #Invertebrates

Minute calcareous sponge with faint membrane in front of the osculum from the mediolittoral of the Northern Adriatic. Which genus? #SpongeThursday, #Invertebrates

Minute calcareous sponge with faint membrane in front of the osculum from the mediolittoral of the Northern Adriatic. Which genus? #SpongeThursday, #Invertebrates