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Project Noah Nature School
Sycon raphanus
It is a sponge that always lives alone. It has a height of 1-1.5 centimeters, it is very small. It has a scratchy and rough surface, due to the high number of small spines that come out of the body. Its color is between white or light gray. It has the osculum (hole in the middle of the body) surrounded by a crown of spicules (like spines that form the skeleton of the sponge). It is not very abundant, we usually find it between 1 and 10 meters deep, on buoy ropes and under stones.
On Caulerpa leaves proliferates in the shallow waters of the coastal salt lagoon of the Mar Menor (Murcia)
The sponge is dedicated to filtering sea water. It sucks in water through the tiny holes it has all over its body, takes in all the food particles it can find, and expels the water it has already filtered through the osculum, which is a larger hole in the middle of its body. How does it reproduce? Sponges are hermaphrodites, that is, they have both sexes. They release the sperm into the water and these swim to another sponge and fertilize it. They must produce many for some to reach another sponge.
Spotted on Aug 27, 2022
Submitted on Aug 27, 2022
7 Comments
Thank you for that word, Eulalia! 'Solastalgia' -- mental or existential stress caused by environmental deterioration. It's helpful to have language for our sadness and fears.
Exactly, Leuba, sometimes it's sad. The word 'solastalgia' says it all: mental or existential stress caused by environmental deterioration.
Sad news over all but good to know that something is being done about it. Must break your heart at times Eulalia ?. So, thanks for persisting and doing such a great job.
Thank you very much, Leuba.
Yes, she is an anemone. Our coastal lagoon 'Mar Menor' is suffering from discharges of water rich in nutrients from intensive agriculture that has been implemented in the surroundings. This has caused the algae to develop excessively, preventing the entry of light to the bottom (eutrophication) and consequently there have been two episodes of anoxia (years 2018 and 2021), causing tons of fish to come out to die on the shores in search of oxygen. Practically almost all the most sensitive species disappeared (fish, crabs, shrimp... an extraordinary wealth from which many families lived. I have been creating spottings of these species in PNoah, you can see the ones that are located in the same place as the present spotting) leaving only the hardiest such as anemones and other epiphytes.
Thanks to the popular voice, I believe that the regional government is starting to do things right.
I absolutely enjoy every spotting of your Eulalia. So informative. I see a small anemone in the midst?
Thank you so much, Ava.
Very cool species and notes!