April 20, 2021: Glass Sponge
Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Mountains in the Deep: Exploring the Central Pacific Basin. Download larger version (jpg, 971 KB).
This vibrant yellow glass sponge, seen while exploring a previously unmapped seamount dubbed "Kahalewai" during the Mountains in the Deep: Exploring the Central Pacific Basin expedition, was covered with brittle stars. The sponge is able to generate its own water current and scientists hypothesized that the brittle stars were taking advantage of flow coming out of the sponge’s larger pores to capture food.