Venus' flower basket

The Venus' flower basket (Euplectella aspergillum) is a species of glass sponge found in the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean, usually at 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. Like other sponges, they feed by filtering sea water to capture plankton and marine snow. Little is known regarding their reproductive habits, though the fluid dynamics of their body structure likely influence reproduction and it is hypothesized that they may be hermaphroditic.