Tree Sponge or Branched Sponge - Axinella polypoides
In this dive on a seabed of about 40-42 meters deep we encountered the Tree Sponge or Branched Sponge, Axinella polypoides, a sponge typical of the Mediterranean Sea that develops vertically often with various branches almost like a coral. Branched sponge Spugna alberello Spugna ramificata Axinella intotheblue.it
Axinella polypoides sponge, also known as Branched Sponge, is a sponge belonging to the Demospongiae class, the Axinellidae family and the Porifera phylum, present throughout the Mediterranean Sea. It appears in the form of a tree and lives at a depth ranging from 20 meters to over 300 meters. Although it is a rare and protected species, it can easily be found on rocky seabeds. Demospongiae represent the largest class of the phylum Porifera and include 95% of the known species with almost 8,800 species worldwide (World Porifera Database), including the familiar bath sponges.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axinella
As always when we film the seabed where we dive we also document the impact that we of the human race have with the sea. In this dive we found 3/4 lost anchors with the usual several meters of chain and rope. They range from useless hook anchors, to self-built anchors, to the expensive and safer Danforth as long as it is used on the seabed for which it was designed, i.e. sandy and muddy seabeds. Here we found it practically on a rocky wall impossible not to see with the depth eco-sounder.
Gallery
You might be interested in
