Where can I be found?
The muddy bottom habitat is found in most parts of the Mediterranean Sea at a depth of about 20 meters.
Why am I important?
Blue Planet — actually, the Earth should be called Brown Planet because most ocean floors are covered with mud.
The mud was created over thousands of years as particles were washed from shallower to deeper areas.
Who am I giving home to?
Due to the depth of the water, only a small amount of sunlight reaches the muddy seabed, making it completely unattractive to algae or seaweed.
However, it is not completely extinct down here: Some sessile animals have settled on the muddy bottom and feed on floating particles.
These particles are made up of dead animals, algae, and feces, and slowly sink to the bottom from the upper layers of water - hence the name "sea snow".
But how do animals not sink into the mud? They have developed their very own techniques: sponges and sea spikes, for example, build small platforms on which they live.
Other animals such as hair and snake stars, mussels, crabs, or sea cucumbers use these safe islands as an aid to better catch particles floating in the water.
The "houses" of hermit crabs also give structure to this habitat.
They are therefore a popular contact point for sponges, moss animals, and anemones, which live on the crab's shell.
A variety of smaller inhabitants live hidden in the mud: mussels, snails, crabs, and worms are constantly scouring the soil for smaller food particles, while also being hunted by fish or cephalopods are present.
But there may be even bigger muddy surprises waiting to be discovered: meter-sized rays love to hide under a layer of mud - when they rise up and spread their wings, it makes for a very impressive scene, along with the mud cloud swirling around them.
What do I consist of?
I am the product of the finest sediments, the innumerable small, fine particles that are washed from the shore into the sea and remain where there is no strong water movement.
Text: Carolina Leiter
