These beautiful small squat lobsters live on Giant Barrel Sponges. They are usally very difficult to film as they tend to hide in the recesses at the bottom of the protrusions on the sides of the sponges. The ‘hairs’ catch the particles in the water, and a pair of ‘un-hairy’ hind legs cleans the particles off the hairs then the lobster eats the captured particles.
This one had decided to go for a walk and the sponge was relatively smooth, so I could see most of his body, rather than just the tips of his claws.
They are very spectacular, with their intense pink colour, with purple spots and all the white hairs that cover them.
