by Ten thousand feet below the ocean’s surface, the seafloor is a dark, desolate, and dangerous place where even the most benign-looking creatures can be deadly predators.
Recently, a team of scientists discovered an unlikely new carnivorous species— the harp sponge (Chondrocladia lyra).
C. lyra is called the harp sponge because its basic structure, called a vane, is shaped like a harp or lyre.
Each vane consists of a horizontal branch supporting several parallel, vertical branches.
But don’t let the harp sponge’s whimsical appearance and innocent sounding name fool you, it’s actually a deep-sea predator.
However, carnivorous harp sponges snare their prey—tiny crustaceans—with barbed hooks that cover the sponge’s branching limbs.
Once the harp sponge has its prey in its clutches, it envelops the animal in a thin membrane, and then slowly begins to digest it.
Source
Recently, a team of scientists discovered an unlikely new carnivorous species— the harp sponge (Chondrocladia lyra).
C. lyra is called the harp sponge because its basic structure, called a vane, is shaped like a harp or lyre.
Each vane consists of a horizontal branch supporting several parallel, vertical branches.
But don’t let the harp sponge’s whimsical appearance and innocent sounding name fool you, it’s actually a deep-sea predator.
However, carnivorous harp sponges snare their prey—tiny crustaceans—with barbed hooks that cover the sponge’s branching limbs.
Once the harp sponge has its prey in its clutches, it envelops the animal in a thin membrane, and then slowly begins to digest it.
Source
2012 MBARI
