The Azure Vase Sponge - Callyspongia plicifera - Porifera
About the Azure Vase Sponge
The Azure Vase Sponge lives in coral reefs and commonly grows on walls. They can mostly be found in South Florida, the Bahamas, and in the Carribean. It is. One of the world's most colorful sponges being any color from purple to pink to blue. It is called the Azure "vase" due to it's shape. It is bumpy on the outside but very smooth on the inside. It can grow up to 18 inches. It feeds on living particles and plankton.
How Does The Azure Sponge Reproduce?
They can reproduce asexually and sexually. It can reproduce asexually when a part of the sponge breaks off. That part of the sponge then grows and becomes a new organism. To reproduce sexually, a few things must occur. The Sponge has nurse cells to help an unfertilized egg become ready. The Sponge also releases sperm into the nearby water. This sperm then fertilizes the egg. It grows forming a larvae. The larvae then falls to the ocean floor where it starts to develop as a new organism.