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Sponge Colony

This image of sponges was captured by NOAA's Twilight Zone Expedition Team near the Cayman Islands in 60 feet (18 meters) of water. Included in the photo are the yellow tube sponge, Aplysina fistularis, the purple vase sponge, Niphates digitalis, the red encrusting sponge, Spiratrella coccinea, and the gray rope sponge. Though they look like plants, sponges are actually living animals that filter the sea water for tiny particles of food.