Summary[
edit] Description: English: Giant barrel sponge (Xestospongia muta) exhibiting exposed tissue where portions of the barrels have been sheared off by the storm. The elkhorn coral colony at West Flower Garden Bank, located at approximately 27°54'33" N, 93°35'59" W, in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, is situated behind the barrel sponge in this photo (October 2008). Photo: Hickerson/FGBNMS. Date: October 2008. Source:
http://flowergarden.noaa.gov/science/ike2008.html. Author: Hickerson/FGBNMS.