Elephant+Ear+Sponge


 * __[[image:Elephant-ear-sponge.jpg width="240" height="343" align="right"]]Common Name:__** Elephant Ear Sponge

__**Phyla:**__ Porifera

__**Class:**__ Demospongiae

__**Scientific Name:**__ //Agelas clathrodes//
 * __Location:__** Coral Reefs

__**Size:**__ Can grow up to 2-6ft. in width.

__**Habitat:**__ Inhabits coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Ocean.

__**Life Cycle:**__ Sponges can produce sexually as well as asexually. Most sponges are hermaphroditic. Asexual reproduction happens by budding and fragmentation. With this type of reproduction pieces or fragments of the sponge's body are broken off the by the water currents, and they are carried by the currents to a different location. There they attach themselves to the ocean floor and grow to be an adult sponge. Sexual reproduction happens internally. The male acting sponge cells release the gametes into the waterhich from there the sperm travels closer to the female acting sponge cells, where it is picked up by the female acting sponge’s collar cells, which then lose their collars and become special amoeba-like cells that carry the spermatazoa to the eggs, and fertilization then takes place. The tiny larvae which are the result of fertilization are released into the water. The larvae use their cilia to propel themselves through the water. Eventually they settles down and grow to be an adult sponge. Next time around when they reproduce the sponges may change roles; the sponge that played male could play female and vice versa.

__**Male and Female Differences:**__ Each adult can act as either female or male so it is almost impossible to tell them apart.


 * __Human Impact:__** Elephant ear sponges are utilized for decorative purposes in saltwater aquariums. They are also harvested and dried for use by painters and other artisans, who prize them for their texture.

__**Facts:**__
 * They have no mouths or blood systems. They feed by filtering particles of food, such as tiny plant fragments, from the water//.//
 * In such places as the Caribbean Sea, sponges can actually filter all of the water in one day.


 * Zookeeper: Kenzie Davidson**

__**References:**__ [] [] []