Believe It or Not!!!
In 1994, a predatory sponge was discovered in a Mediterranean cave near Marseilles, France, this sponge actually covers the prey and then consumes it.
Sponges are not all rooted into the ocean floor, Calhoun Bond discovered that some
 fresh water sponges can move up to 4 millimeters per day. Sponges are able to heal themselves if portions are removed or damaged by a predator.
Sponges have unique defense tactics; the Neofibularia noli tangere produces a toxin that causes an excruciation, stinging pain when touched.
Sponges drink about 64 glasses of water a day and some species filter almost 20,000 times their volume in a day.
Smallest sponge is less than one inch long, with the largest being 3 to 6 feet in size.
Marine sponges can live up to 558 million years.
Fossils have been found from 500 million years ago.
Until 1765, sponges were considered as plants, but John Ellis proved they were actually animals.
Sponges can live several thousand feet below the ocean's surface.
The largest sponge
 ever found was 10 feet wide, the Monoraphus sponge. If part of a sponge breaks off, it can actually become a separate, thriving sponge.
Every year, new types of sponges are discovered.
Sponges are thought to be related to the jellyfish and coral reef.
Sponges purchased in stores are actually the skeleton of the sponge.
Sponges have no heart, brain, head, mouth, or any other body part.
Sponges have both male and female reproduction organs.
Sponges release an unpleasant smell to ward off predators such as mollusks, fish, and crustaceans.
 While some sponges obtain their colorful brilliance from coral reef, other sponge species actually destroy coral reefs.
Chemicals from sponges possibly could become an effective chemotherapy treatment for cancer patients.
Of the 15,000 species of sponges, only 6 species are marketable.
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