Axinella sponge

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Sponges are animals! They feed by filtering water to extract tiny food particles, especially plankton.

There are two species of Axinella sponges in the Mediterranean. Both are arborescent with cylindrical orangey-yellow branches They are quite similar. The only differences are the number of branches and the shape of the osculum, a large orifice for excreting filtered water. Water enters the central cavity via the many small pores in the sponge’s walls, hence the name Porifera. These sponges can be up to 1m tall and live between the surface and 200m on coralligenous and rocky bottoms away from the light. They are found in the Mediterranean and nearby Atlantic waters.