The Cladorhizidae Family is the only Sponge Family that lives 100% carnivore. These are the craziest one: The Lyre Sponge (Chondrocladia lyra) and the Ping-Pong-Tree Sponge (Chondrocladia concrescens)
The Cladorhizidae Family is the only Sponge Family that lives 100% carnivore. These are the craziest one: The Lyre Sponge (Chondrocladia lyra) and the Ping-Pong-Tree Sponge (Chondrocladia concrescens)
In the deep sea, several thousand meters below the surface, live sponges that do not feed on plankton like typical shallow-water species. Instead, they capture and digest small animals. Two important representatives of these carnivorous sponges are Chondrocladia lyra (harp sponge) and Chondrocladia concrescens (ping-pong tree sponge), both members of the family Cladorhizidae.
The harp sponge reaches about 40 cm in height and up to 60 cm in width. Its structure consists of several upright branches arranged like the frame of a harp. These branches are covered with tiny hook-like and adhesive cells that trap drifting small crustaceans. The prey is then enclosed by tissue and digested externally, since the sponge has no mouth or stomach. Because this species lives at depths of 3’300–3’500 m, only very few expeditions have observed it directly, resulting in extremely limited photographic documentation.
Hunting strategy:
The harp sponge positions its vertical branches directly in the path of deep-sea currents. These branches are covered in microscopic hooks and adhesive cells. When small crustaceans drift into contact, they become entangled and immobilized. The sponge then gradually envelops the prey with tissue and digests it externally by releasing enzymes. The resulting nutrients are absorbed across the entire body surface, since the species lacks mouth, stomach, or internal digestive organs.
The ping-pong tree sponge can grow up to around 1 meter tall. It has a central stalk with branches that end in round, ball-shaped structures, which increase the contact area for intercepting prey. It uses the same external digestion strategy as its relative. While also a deep-sea species, it has been photographed more often, so more images exist compared to the harp sponge.
Hunting strategy:
The spherical endings of the branches function as contact traps. They carry tiny spine- and hook-like structures that latch onto any small invertebrate brought by the current. Once an animal adheres to the sponge, it is slowly broken down by external digestion in the same manner as its relative. This passive interception system allows the sponge to exploit the limited but constant supply of mobile benthic organisms in the deep ocean.
Both sponges are anchored in the soft seabed and rely on deep-sea currents to bring food within reach of their branches. Their ability to survive without sunlight, in high pressure, cold temperatures, and scarce food sources, demonstrates how even simple animals can evolve highly specialized adaptations in one of Earth’s most extreme environments.
Written by Serafin Zufferey (me)
SerafinZufferey on
Although all sponges technically feed on living organisms, only the carnivorous species like those in the family Cladorhizidae are considered truly carnivorous because they actively capture and digest larger animal prey rather than filtering microscopic plankton.
3 Comments
Deep-Sea Carnivorous Sponges
The Harp Sponge and the Ping-Pong Tree Sponge
In the deep sea, several thousand meters below the surface, live sponges that do not feed on plankton like typical shallow-water species. Instead, they capture and digest small animals. Two important representatives of these carnivorous sponges are Chondrocladia lyra (harp sponge) and Chondrocladia concrescens (ping-pong tree sponge), both members of the family Cladorhizidae.
The harp sponge reaches about 40 cm in height and up to 60 cm in width. Its structure consists of several upright branches arranged like the frame of a harp. These branches are covered with tiny hook-like and adhesive cells that trap drifting small crustaceans. The prey is then enclosed by tissue and digested externally, since the sponge has no mouth or stomach. Because this species lives at depths of 3’300–3’500 m, only very few expeditions have observed it directly, resulting in extremely limited photographic documentation.
Hunting strategy:
The harp sponge positions its vertical branches directly in the path of deep-sea currents. These branches are covered in microscopic hooks and adhesive cells. When small crustaceans drift into contact, they become entangled and immobilized. The sponge then gradually envelops the prey with tissue and digests it externally by releasing enzymes. The resulting nutrients are absorbed across the entire body surface, since the species lacks mouth, stomach, or internal digestive organs.
The ping-pong tree sponge can grow up to around 1 meter tall. It has a central stalk with branches that end in round, ball-shaped structures, which increase the contact area for intercepting prey. It uses the same external digestion strategy as its relative. While also a deep-sea species, it has been photographed more often, so more images exist compared to the harp sponge.
Hunting strategy:
The spherical endings of the branches function as contact traps. They carry tiny spine- and hook-like structures that latch onto any small invertebrate brought by the current. Once an animal adheres to the sponge, it is slowly broken down by external digestion in the same manner as its relative. This passive interception system allows the sponge to exploit the limited but constant supply of mobile benthic organisms in the deep ocean.
Both sponges are anchored in the soft seabed and rely on deep-sea currents to bring food within reach of their branches. Their ability to survive without sunlight, in high pressure, cold temperatures, and scarce food sources, demonstrates how even simple animals can evolve highly specialized adaptations in one of Earth’s most extreme environments.
Written by Serafin Zufferey (me)
Although all sponges technically feed on living organisms, only the carnivorous species like those in the family Cladorhizidae are considered truly carnivorous because they actively capture and digest larger animal prey rather than filtering microscopic plankton.
100% carnivore? I’d like to see it try to eat me.