EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Glass sponges in the class Hexactinellida are animals commonly found in the deep ocean. Their tissues contain glass-like structural particles, called spicules, that are made of silica (hence their name).

Detailed explanation-2: -Spicules are the structural components of a sponge, or the “bricks, ” and the shapes, sizes, and composition are unique for each species. Together, you can look at these features under a microscope to make a positive identification. Spicules are composed of either Calcium or Silica.

Detailed explanation-3: -structure of sponges Siliceous spicules, found in the Demospongiae and in the Hexactinellida, are made essentially of silicic acid; they also contain some water, a small quantity of other compounds containing sodium, potassium, iron, and chlorine, and a small quantity of organic matter, called spiculin, which forms an…

Detailed explanation-4: -Sponges are sessile filter feeders that, among the metazoans, evolved first on Earth. In the two classes of the siliceous sponges (the Demospongiae and the Hexactinellida), the complex filigreed body is stabilized by an inorganic skeleton composed of amorphous silica providing them a distinct body shape and plan.

Detailed explanation-5: -Glass sponges have skeletons made of silica, which is the same material used to make glass, but glass sponges are not glass, per se. This glass sponge (in the family Euplectellidae) was collected during Dive 04 of the 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration.