A small, needle-like skeletal element found in sponges and some other invertebrates, made of calcium carbonate, silica, or protein. Spicules provide structural support and protection, and their shapes are used to identify different sponge species.
From Latin 'spiculum' meaning small spike or point, diminutive of 'spica' meaning spike. The term was adopted when early microscopists discovered these tiny, often beautifully shaped skeletal elements in sponge tissues.
Sponge spicules come in hundreds of different shapes - stars, needles, anchors, and even tiny glass sculptures that look like modern art! Some deep-sea sponges make spicules over a meter long that act like fiber optic cables, conducting light through their bodies.
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