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Travel across the Atlantic Across the Caribbean Sea Into the Gulf of Mexico Where the crabs live in harmony
But where do hermit crabs do When they can't find a shell They just look for a sponge Which works just as well The western Atlantic offers a wide variety of habitats for porifera species. Off the coast of Brazil, the genus Amphimedon is noted for bioactive compounds. In the Caribbean Sea, porifera filter the entire sea in just one day!
In studies primarily conducted by Dr. Floyd Sanford, (Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA) scientists and their students don't have to go to the depths to discover a realm of interest.
Dog Island is itself the easternmost in a chain of islands, and it is classified as a barrier island. To the mainland, it is only six kilometers. The dimensions of the island itself are eleven kilometers in longitudinal distance and one and two-tenths kilometers in latitudinal distance. It is bordered by marshes, an inlet to the north, and the St. George Sound. To the south and east, there is the Gulf of Mexico. For more details, see the two maps on this page. One shows the entire area, and the other map focuses directly upon Dog Island.
Surrounding the barrier island, there are shallow depths of approximately one meter. Within the shallow waters with an abundance of sand and sea grass, marine life is copious. Concealed by the grasses, hermit crabs may exchange gastropod shells for porifera. The porifera gradually grows upon the crab, engulfing it, and it offers a growing, expanding shelter. In return for its services, the sponge may have a more enhanced food supply. While this is not a long-term relationship (around January, oddly enough, most of the crabs shed their sponge covers and trade back to gastropod shells), it is an interesting symbiosis. |
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In
the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Florida, there is an island
known as Dog Island. In addition to other sites throughout the world,
Dog Island is the home of hermit crab sponges. 