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Breadcrumb Sponge - Halichondria panicea
It should be called the Moldy Breadcrumb Sponge given the color. It is a very hard sponge and if you try to pick it up, it crumbles to pieces -- which is why it is called 'breadcrumb' sponge.
Habitat: Found growing on rocks in tidal pools during low tide
*The photobomber beneath the rock is a rockpool shrimp (Palaemon elegans). The white-ish crusty stuff on the rock is sea vomit (Didemnum vexillum). I don't know what the red/orange stuff is.
"Halichondria panicea", commonly known as the breadcrumb sponge, is a species of sea sponge belonging to the family Halichondriidae. This is an abundant sponge of coastal areas of the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea ranging from the intertidal zone to a recorded depth of over 550 m. It is also found in the intertidal zone of the coast of the northern part of the North Island of New Zealand.
