Pheronema carpenteri is the scientific name for an underwater animal commonly known as the Birds Nest captilex sponge. Not much is known about birds nest sponges except for their size and physical characteristics.

​

 

Pheronema carpenteri are recovered with short thin, hairlike silica spicules around the opening and stick out of the upper third of body. The spicules on the middle third of the body are arranged in a pattern that looks like the twigs of a bird's nest. Longer spicules cover the lower third of the body and hold the sponge in soft mud.

​

 

Bird's nest sponges are white and can range from tall and narrow, to short and wide. Normally these sponges grow to a height of about 10 inches and a width of about 8 inches. They live in the northeastern part of the Atlantic Ocean ranging from Iceland to northern Africa, including the Mediterranean Sea too.

​

 

These sponges are not in any danger of extinction. Scientists are trying to find out why there are so many Pheronema carpenteri sponges in the deep ocean, where there are usually very few of any animal. Scientists think that these sponges are filter feeders, however they do not know for sure. Even though there are many, it is a mystery to how these sponges reproduce. I never knew there were so many different types of sponges. To me these sponges are very interesting; they even have an interesting name.

​

 

Author: Samantha W

Published: 02/20/2008

​

 

Sources:

http://animals.jrank.org/pages/1452/Sponges-Porifera-BIRD-S-NEST- SPONGE-Pheronema-carpenteri-SPECIES-ACCOUNTS.html

 

 

Photo Credit: https://deepseacru.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/otu347.jpg