Spongivore

A spongivore is an organism that feeds primarily on animals of the Phylum Porifera, commonly called sea sponges.

Examples

The hawksbill turtle is one of the few animals known to feed primarily on sponges. It is the only known spongivorous reptile.Species Booklet: Hawksbill sea turtle. Virginia Fish and Wildlife Information Service. Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries. Retrieved on 2007-02-06. Sponges of various select species constitute up to 95% of the diets of Caribbean hawksbill turtle populations.Meylan, Anne (1988-01-12). "Spongivory in Hawksbill Turtles: A Diet of Glass". Science 239 (4838): 393-395. American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved on 2007-02-15. 

Pomacanthus imperator, the emperor angelfish, is a known spongivorous coral reef fish.Thacker, Robert W.; Mikel A. Becerro, Wilfred A. Lumbang, and Valerie J. Paula (1997-08-19). "Allelopathic interactions between sponges on a tropical reef". Ecology 79 (5): 1740-1750. Ecological Society of America. Retrieved on 2007-02-16. Ferreira, C. E. L.; S. R. Floeter, J. L. Gasparini, B. P. Ferreira and J. C. Joyeux (2004). "Trophic structure patterns of Brazilian reef fishes: a latitudinal comparison". Journal of Biogeography 31 (7): 1093-1106. Blackwell Publishing. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2004.01044.x. Retrieved on 2007-02-16. 

Certain species of Nudibranchs are known so feed selectively on specific species of sponges.

References

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