Alex Mustard / Portrait of a Giant frogfish (Antennarius commersoni) on a large Yellow elephant ear sponge (Ianthella basta). Bitung, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Lembeh Strait, Molucca Sea.

Franco Banfi / Orange elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes) Santa Lucia, Camaguey, Cuba, Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean

Georgette Douwma / Stove-pipe sponge (Aplysina archeri) and Orange elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes) Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean, Atlantic Ocean.

Juergen Freund / Elephant ear sponge (Ianthella basta) with a Triplefin blenny resting on it, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

Juergen Freund / Detail of Orange elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes) with crinoid / featherstar attached, Kimbe Bay, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

Juergen Freund / Details of Orange elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes) with crinoids / featherstars attached, Kimbe Bay, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea

Juergen Freund / Orange elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes), with other sponges and gorgonians, Indo-pacific

Norbert Wu / Elephant Ear Sponge (Ianthella basta) with schools of Black-tipped Fusiliers (Pterocaesio digramma) swimming behind, Solomon Islands

Chris Newbert / Elephant Ear Sponge (Ianthella basta) and schooling Barracuda (Sphyraena genie) in background, 110 feet deep, Solomon Islands

Alex Mustard / Portrait of a Giant frogfish (Antennarius commersoni) on a large Yellow elephant ear sponge (Ianthella basta) on a coral reef. Bitung, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Lembeh Strait, Molucca Sea.

Franco Banfi / Elephant ear sponge (Ianthella basta) with a scuba diver swimming in he background, Gorgonia Wall Reef, Cabilao Island, Bohol, Central Visayas, Philippines, Pacific Ocean.

Tony Wu / Yellow elephant ear sponge (Ianthella basta) with unique lighting to make it resemble a sculpture, Hornbill Channel in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea.

Franco Banfi / Reef with Orange elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes) and scuba diver on the background, Santa Lucia, Camaguey, Cuba, Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean. November 2007.

Georgette Douwma / Orange elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes) Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean, Atlantic Ocean.

Georgette Douwma / Orange elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes) Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean, Atlantic Ocean.

Georgette Douwma / Coral reef scenery with Orange elephant ear sponges (Agelas clathrodes), Stove-pipe sponge (Aplysina archeri) and Boulder brain coral (Colpophyllia natans) Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean, A...

Georgette Douwma / Stove-pipe sponge (Aplysina archeri) and Orange elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes) in background. Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean, Atlantic Ocean.

Georgette Douwma / Orange elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes) Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean, Atlantic Ocean.

Georgette Douwma / Coral reef scenery with Orange elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes), Stove-pipe sponge (Aplysina archeri) and Azure vase sponge (Callyspongia plicifera) Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean, A...

Pascal Kobeh / Diver above the reef with Caribbean sea whips (Plexaura homomalla), Elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes) and a Great star coral (Montastraea cavernosa), San Salvador Island / Colombus Island, Baham...

Pascal Kobeh / Diver above the reef with Elephant ear sponges (Agelas clathrodes), San Salvador Island / Colombus Island, Bahamas. Caribbean. June 2013.

Pascal Kobeh / Diver on coral reef with Giant barrel sponge (Xestospongia muta), Elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes) and coral, San Salvador Island / Colombus Island, Bahamas. Caribbean. June 2013.

Pascal Kobeh / Diver on coral reef with a Giant barrel sponge (Xestospongia muta), Elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes) and corals, San Salvador Island / Colombus Island, Bahamas. Caribbean. June 2013.

Sue Daly / Elephant Hide / Ear Sponge (Pachymatisma johnstonia) Grune du Nord, Sark, British Channel Islands, September.

Sue Daly / Elephant Hide / Ear Sponge (Pachymatisma johnstonia) Vingt Clos, Sark, British Channel Islands, August.

Sue Daly / Elephant's ear sponge (Pachymatisma johnstonia) Channel Islands, UK June

Juergen Freund / Elephant ear sponge (Ianthella basta) covered in Featherstars / crinoids, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

Juergen Freund / Elephant ear sponge (Ianthella basta) Kimbe Bay, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

Juergen Freund / Elephant ear sponge (Ianthella basta) in the reef. Misool, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia.

Juergen Freund / Elephant ear sponge (Ianthella basta) in the reef with a diver swimming behind. Misool, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia.

Juergen Freund / Elephant ear sponge (Ianthella basta) in the reef with a shoal of fish swimming behind. Misool, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia.

Juergen Freund / Elephant ear sponge (Ianthella basta) in the reef with a shoal of fish swimming behind. Misool, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia, January.

Juergen Freund / Elephant ear sponge (Ianthella basta) in the reef with a diver swimming behind. Misool, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia.

Sue Daly / Elephant hide sponge (Pachymatisma johnstonia) underwater, Channel Isles, UK, June

Juergen Freund / Orange elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes) and diver, Indo-pacific

Juergen Freund / Orange elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes) Indo-pacific

Juergen Freund / Orange elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes) with crinoids / featherstars attached, Indo-pacific

Juergen Freund / Orange elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes)covered in featherstars. Indo-pacific

Juergen Freund / Orange elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes) covered with featherstars. Indo-pacific

Sue Daly / Elephant hide / ear sponge {Pachymatisma johnstonia} Gouliot Caves, Alderney, Channel Islands, UK

Sue Daly / Elephants ear sponge (Pachymatisma johnstonia) Sark, Channel Islands, UK

Chris Newbert / Elephant Ear Sponge (Ianthella basta) and baitfish, 80 feet deep, Papua New Guinea

Chris Newbert / Elephant Ear Sponge (Ianthella basta) with Crinoid attached, 70 feet deep, Solomon Islands

Juergen Freund / Elephant Ear Sponge {Ianthella basta} Papua New Guinea

Chris Newbert / Elephant Ear Sponge (Ianthella basta) growing on coral reef, Solomon Islands

Chris Newbert / Sponge (Phakellia sp) on coral reef, Solomon Islands

Chris Newbert / Elephant Ear Sponge (Lanthellidae) 80 feet deep, Papua New Guinea

Fred Bavendam / Fusilier (Caesio sp) school stream by an Elephants Ear Sponge (Ianthella basta) laden with Crinoids, Kimbe Bay, WNBI, Papua New Guinea

Constantinos Petrinos / Tassled scorpionfish {Scorpaenopsis oxycephala} in Elephant ear sponge (Langhella basta} Sulawesi

Roberto Rinaldi / Giant sea fan (Gorgonacea sp.) and Elephant ear sponge (Acanthella sp.), Flinders Reef, Australia

Roberto Rinaldi / Elephant ear sponge (Lanthella sp) covered with worm like creatures that are synaptid sea cucumbers (Synaptidae sp.), Australia.

Alex Mustard / Reef scene with Orange elephant ear sponge (Agelas clathrodes), Brown tube sponges (Agelas conifera), Deepwater sea fans (Iciligorgia nodulifera), Creole wrasses (Clepticus parrae) and Fairy basslets...

David Fleetham / Yellow elephant ear sponge (Ianthella basta) with dark-coloured Whiteline sea cucumbers (Synaptula lamperti) and the paler, unnamed species, Philippines.

Alex Mustard / A reef scene with an orange elephant ear sponge (Ianthella basta) and red sea whip (Ellisella sp) with schooling silversides fish above. Pelee Island, Misool, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Ceram...

Alex Mustard / Coral reef scene, with Philippines chromis (Chromis scotochiloptera), hard coral (Acropora sp.) and purple elephant ear sponges (Ianthella basta). Apo Island Marine Protected Area, Dumaguete, Negros,...