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Sponges are very slow-moving animals that are found across the sea floor. Although many sponges actually move less than a millimetre a day, some adult sponges are actually sessile, which means that they are fixed onto something and do not move at all.

Sponges are thought to have evolved around 500 million years ago, and today there are more than 5,000 known species of sponge with another 5,000 species thought to have not yet been discovered. Most sponges live in a salt water environment, attached to objects on the sea floor. Less than 200 sponge species inhabit freshwater habitats.

The body of the sponge is made up of a jelly-like substance that is supported by a thin layer of cells on either side. The body of the sponge contain thousands of pores which allow water to keep flowing through it.

Sponges have no organs, and obtain their nutrition from the water that is continuously flowing through them. Sponges can be found in variety of different sizes and shapes tubes, fans, cups, cones and blobs.

Sponges are omnivorous animals that obtain their nutrition from the food particles in the water. Sponges primarily eat bacteria, phytoplankton and bits out of the water. A number of sponge species are known to have a more carnivorous diet, eating small fish and crustaceans on the reefs.

Due to the abundance and variety of sponges, they are preyed upon by many animals. The fact that sponges move so slowly, if at all, means that they cannot avoid being eaten. Sea turtles, crustaceans, fish and echinoderms all prey on sponges.

Sponges are hermaphrodites, which means that they have both male and female reproductive organs. Fertilisation occurs inside many sponges, and sometimes externally when sperm are released into the water. The tiny sponge larvae are able to move through the water and eventually settle on the sea floor as they get bigger, and begin to move very little.

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Sponge Facts

Kingdom: A level of classifying all living things on earth, as similar species are broken into 5 groups including plants, animals and fungi....	Animalia
Phylum: A level of classifying animals within the animal kingdom. Phylum are further divided into subgroups called classes....	Porifera
Class: A level of classifying animals in a phylum. Classes are then sub-divided into further groups known as orders....	Demospongiae

Common Name:	Sponge
Scientific Name:	Demospongiae
Found:	Worldwide
Size:	1cm - 3m (0.4in - 118in)
Number of Species:	5,000
Lifespan:	15-30 years
Conservation Status: The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing the conservation s...	Threatened

Colour:	Green, Red, Blue, Yellow, Orange, Brown
Skin Type:	Smooth
Favourite Food:	Bacteria
Habitat: The term habitat is used to describe a specific area where a particular animal lives, within an environment. Many animals have adapted to requiring specific conditions which can only be found in their natural habitat su...	Saltwater seafloors
Average Litter Size:	1,000s
Main Prey: When an animal is referred to prey, it means that the animal is either hunted or caught for food. Animals that are referred to as prey are generally hunted by bigger animals, although there are a number of exceptions....	Bacteria, Phytoplankton, Nutrients In Water
Predators: When an animal is referred to as a predator, it means that the animal either hunts or catches other animals. Predatory animals are generally dominant within their environment and will generally hunt animals smaller than...	Fish, Turtles. Crustaceans
Special Features:	Brightly coloured and non-moving lifestyle

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