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Anyone know what the marble/balls are in this sponge???
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Anyone know what the marble/balls are in this sponge???

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DebbieW - 1/03/2008 6:42 PM
I saw those too in Jamaica. The dive master said they were called sea pearls and not to touch them. I did some research and here`s what I found: Called Valonia macrophysa or Valonia (Bubble) Macroalgae (Elongated Sea Pearls) Grow to 3/4" in diameter. Spherical to elongated shiny "balls" of silvery appearance that grow in clusters. So I guess they are a type of algae...still not sure why they told us not to touch them...if it was because they can hurt you or if they didn`t want us to touch because they didn`t want them to spread...hmmmm....