Hexactinellid sponges are Sponges with a skeleton made of four- and/or six-pointed Siliceous spicules. These are often referred to as glass sponges. One capability they possess is a very unique system for rapidly conducting electrical impulses across their bodies. this Allows them to respond more rapidly to external stimuli. Glass sponges like the "venus Flower Basket," as shown on the left, have a tuft of fibers that extends out like an inverted crown at the bottom of their skeleton. These fibers are 50 to 175 millimetres (2.0 to 6.9 in) long and are about as thick as a human hair.
They are generally cup-shaped animals, that can range anywhere from 10 to 30 centimeters (3.9 to 12 in) in height, with sturdy internal skeletons made of fused spicules of silica. The body is practically symmetrical, with a large central cavity that, in many species, opens to the outside through a sieve formed by the skeleton. the basic spicule type of the class is a triaxial hexactine, in which the three pairs of opposed rays are at right angles to each other and lie along one of the three axes of a cube. Proximal ray ends and axial filaments come together at the center of the cube. These principal spicules and variants make up the skeletons of the sponges. Living hexactinellid sponges are commonly goblet or vase-shaped, although branched, massive, Tubular, or ropy-looking sponges also occur in the class. Many have root tufts of long spicules that keep them in place and support them above the sea floor.
They are generally cup-shaped animals, that can range anywhere from 10 to 30 centimeters (3.9 to 12 in) in height, with sturdy internal skeletons made of fused spicules of silica. The body is practically symmetrical, with a large central cavity that, in many species, opens to the outside through a sieve formed by the skeleton. the basic spicule type of the class is a triaxial hexactine, in which the three pairs of opposed rays are at right angles to each other and lie along one of the three axes of a cube. Proximal ray ends and axial filaments come together at the center of the cube. These principal spicules and variants make up the skeletons of the sponges. Living hexactinellid sponges are commonly goblet or vase-shaped, although branched, massive, Tubular, or ropy-looking sponges also occur in the class. Many have root tufts of long spicules that keep them in place and support them above the sea floor.