SPONGES
The chemicals produced for defense by these sponges is being researched to help cure cancer and other types of diseases. https://sites.google.com/site/spongesrocks/interesting-facts
The Sea Sponge is not a coral, and is not a plant, rather it is classified as an animal which has neither brain nor central nervous systemSea Sponges live on the ocean floor, they attach themselves permanently to a solid location under the water and they do not move around.
Sponges can cotain 16,000 other animals inside of it. One of the largest sponges ever was almost 10 feet wide. A new type of sponge is found every year. If you strain a sponge through a cloth it will form a new shape on the other side. Sponges do not have organs, instead they are made up of special cells that carry out all the processes. House hold sponges we use are designed by the sea sponges. Few species of sea sponges are carnivorous and feed on crustaceans and other small animals. They mostly live in deep waters. Some deep sea sponges can live up to the age of 200 years. Some calcified demosponges have even been reported to live for thousand years and more. There are sponge fossils that actually date back to one billion years ago. In the Caribbean Sea, sponges can filter all of the water in one day. If part of a sponge breaks off, then it becomes an entirely new sponge. In this photograph, the pumping action of a sponge is illustrated. A non-toxic yellow dye has been squirted around the base of a purple tube sponge in the Caribbean. Shortly thereafter, the dye is pumped out through the osculum at the top of the sponge. |
FUN FACT
Sponges are considered to be one of the most simple animals on Earth. Sponges have the ability to regrow, so if it is cut up, those pieces of sponge and grow back. The ability to regenerate makes the sponge one of the toughest animals. |