Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Boring Sponges

 photo boringspongeeffects_zps53e9acb2.jpg

You ever see a sea shell with tiny holes in it and wonder what caused it?

It is caused by the boring sponge which is a parasite that uses acid to bore holes into the shells of mollusks. The boring sponge goes through two life stages. The excavation stage is while it is drilling into the host. The gamma stage is where it takes its form and no longer attacks other shells.