People live all over the world. But the world we know is only about thirty percent of the world. The other seventy percent is created by the oceans, seas, bays, rivers, and lakes of the world. Sponges are noted for living in the following places, besides living all over the world.

• Mediterranean- Sponges in this area are used for making the sponges used in the bathtub. They are very soft and flexible. There are lots of sponges in this area.
• Caves of Italy- Some sponges are actually freshwater and sponges have just been discovered in the underground caves of Italy, Sicily, and other areas in the Mediterranean Sea.
• Brazil- Near Brazil, sponges are being used for chemical tests that could be eventually used to fight cancer.
• Caribbean Sea- With a lot of tropical sponges in this area, they can filter all the water in this sea in one day. Tropical sponges are especially known for their beautiful shapes and colors.
• Gulf of Mexico- On a special island called Dog Island (Florida), hermit crab sponges live. These sponges are sponges that live on hermit crabs and act as a covering. Crabs use sponges for shells when they can't find harder shells. The sponge actually grows with the crab. To the right is a map of Dog Island.
• Australia- The Great Barrier Reef is the perfect place for sponges to live. Many scientists study sponges here because of the different tropical sponges that can be found. Every year, a beautiful and amazing thing happens in the Great Barrier Reef. The sponges, somehow knowing that every other sponge is doing it, release their eggs and sperm all at one time. When the eggs and sperm come together, a larva is created. After that, a "baby sponge" develops. This amazing process has been happening for millions of years.
• China- It is thought that some of the first sponges came from here in an age known as the Proterozoic. It was a hexactinellid. Other scientists think that the first sponges came from Australia.
• Indian Ocean- Sponges from this area area also used to make usable sponges.
• Ocean trenches- Some sponges actually live as far down as 7000 meters! They are amazing!