gigantic barrel sponge Taxidermy full body mount - Xestospongia muta - 33 cm - 55 cm - 47 cm - 1

Xestospongia muta is commonly known by the name giant barrel sponge. It is the largest sponge species present in Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico coral reefs. Belonging to the phylum Porifera, this remarkable marine invertebrate has earned, due to its extraordinary size and incredible longevity, the nickname "Sequoia of the reef".
It can reach a diameter of 1.8 meters and a height of up to 2.4 meters. Its structure is typically cylindrical. It assumes the typical shape of a barrel or inverted bell and is equipped with a wide upper opening called the osculum. Its coloration ranges from red-brown, to pink, up to gray-brown. To the touch it feels decidedly hard and stony. Its growth is extremely slow, therefore its life expectancy ranges from several hundred to over 2,000 years. Xestospongia muta lives exclusively in the tropical waters of the western Atlantic, growing between 10 and 120 meters deep, colonizing the hard substrates of coral reefs. This sponge plays a leading role within the entire marine ecosystem, constantly pumping and filtering enormous volumes of water and trapping bacteria and organic carbon. Its internal cavity is the environment in which numerous species of fish, shrimp and other invertebrates live. It also hosts communities of photosynthetic cyanobacteria that contribute to its nutrition and determine its diverse and peculiar colorations. Protagonist of this lot, one of the marine beings most rich in suggestion, a true symbol of the enchanting and mysterious underwater world. Xestospongia muta XXL, an auction bid absolutely worth winning.