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sponges
text index | photo
index
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| Phylum Porifera |
| Golf
ball sponge Cinachyrella australiensis* Family Tertillidae updated Dec 11 Where seen? This furry ball-shaped sponge is sometimes seen on coral rubble on some of our shores. Sometimes with shallow circular depressions, it then resembles a golf ball. It is one of the most common and abundant sponges on intertidal and shallow reefs. Elsewhere, they thrive in silty areas. Sometimes, similar sponges are found washed ashore. These are usually smooth without spines and usually smell bad. Are they dead or dying golf ball sponges? Features: 6-8cm in diameter, spherical densely covered with short, fine spines. These are needle-shaped spicules that stick out of the surface. Don't touch the sponge as the spicules may pierce your skin and remain embedded causing great discomfort. There may be circular pits or indentations on the surface that are bare of spines. These are specialised pore-bearing pits called porocalices. These regularly spaced pits do make them resemble golf balls! Sometimes, broken ones are also seen, showing the yellow internal radiating skeletons. Young ones lack the pits on the surface and often resemble furry balls. Colour usually yellow, although sediment accumulated on the spines may hide the colour. Looks similar to the Rambutan sponge which has fewer fine spines sometimes with bulbous tips and anchored to the surface with stringy tissues. Golf ball sponges lack these bulbous tips and stringy anchors. |
 Cyrene Reef, Mar 07  |
 Possibly a dead golfball sponge? Chek Jawa, Jan 07 |
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Golf ball sponges on Singapore shores
 Pulau Semakau, Aug 07  Broken ones reveal the yellow radiating internal skeleton. |
 Changi, Sep 10  |
 Pulau Hantu, Apr 09  Regular circular indentations makes it resemble a golf ball. |
more photos of golf ball sponges on Singapore shores
northern shores
southern shores part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4
*Sponge species are difficult to positively identify without close examination.
On this website, they are grouped by external features for convenience of display.
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