Venus' flower basket
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The Venus' flower basket is a species of glass sponge found in the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean, usually at depths below 500 m. Like other glass sponges, they build their skeletons out of silica,
Euplectella aspergillum Okeanos
Euplectella aspergillum
Closeup of intricate lattice of the Venus' flower basket
Euplectella aspergillum at a depth of 2,572 m (8,438 ft)
Sponge spicule
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Spicules are structural elements found in most sponges. The meshing of many spicules serves as the sponge's skeleton and thus it provides structural support and potentially defense against predators.
Venus' flower basket
…depths below 500 m (1,600 ft). Like other glass sponges, they build their skeletons out of silica, which forms a unique lattice structure consisting of spicules. This body structure is of great interest in materials science as the optical and mechanical properties are in some ways superior to man-made materials…
Six-pointed triaxonal siliceous spicule from a glass sponge
Demosponges can also have siliceous spicules. Some species obtain silica for building spicules by ingesting diatoms.
Sizes of different spicule types of marine sponges (A) Microsclere (sterraster) of Geodia spp.; (B) Microsclere (sigma) of Mycale quadripartita; (C) Megasclere (oxea) of Haliclona epiphytica; (D) Spicule tetralophose calthrop of homoscleromorph Plakina (A)