My esteemed colleague Stephen Cairns wrote to indicate that he was impressed that sponges can actually exhibit some personality. Not to be outdone, Steve's note contained the image above, which is an extreme closeup of a hydrocoral (specifically an undescribed species of the hydrozoan family Stylasteridae) taken with a scanning electron microscope.
Stylasterids are a completely different group from the stony corals (Scleractinia); they are actually hydroids that also secrete a calcareous exoskeleton. And like many other hydroid colonies they possess individuals (zooids) that serve specific functions, usually feeding, protection and reproduction. The slit-like hole with the covering lid holds a feeding zooid while the holes above contain long, skinny zooids without mouths that probably serve to protect the colony. These units consisting of feeding zooid flanked by two protective zooids are repeated all over the colony, so this image is not a fluke. This particular species from New Caledonia has yet to be described, but knowing Steve it won't be long until that is taken care of.
That we should "see faces" and slightly anthropomorphize these animals is just to make a little fun. Attributing human qualities to non-human animals can often be inappropriate and sometimes even dangerous. In this case, it probably says something about those of us who study organisms without faces. Might we envy our colleagues who study animals that actually do have personality? Nah.
I just learned a new word: Pareidolia!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia
Posted by: Allen Collins | 14 August 2014 at 03:47 PM