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There are worlds within worlds. In our own world, known as Earth, there is land and ocean. We humans inhabit the land, which may seem to be huge. But the land only takes up 30% of the earth. The ocean, with four billion gallons of water, covers 70% of the earth. In the ocean and in other bodies of water such as rivers and lakes, there are magnificient creatures from electric eels to fresh water seals, from giant squids to humongous blue whales- and one of the most amazing of all-sponges.
Okay, you may be wondering what is so special about a sponge. You’ve probably only seen those hard, rectangular ones that anyone can buy at a store. There’s nothing interesting about a sponge like that. It’s not even real because nowadays most sponges you buy in stores are made of fake materials.
Real sponges, also known as "porifera" (meaning in Latin- "to have holes") can be divided into five thousand different types. Each type is called a "species", and it has a special scientific name. Humans are a species, and our scientific name is sapiens.
Each sponge looks slightly different from other sponges on the outside and the inside. Different species have different traits, and their bodies look different. However, for the most part, sponges are alike in many ways.
Sponges are the most simple animal in the world. In fact, they don’t even have organs, such as a heart or a brain. A "sponge" is actually just a soft mass of cells that filter water. It is a wonder that they have been on the earth for billions of years! To learn more about sponges, click on the topics below. Each topic connects you to a different page. If you want to return to this page or go to other pages, use the MENU which is on the bottom of every page. We hope that you have a fun time, but before you embark on your journey to depths of the sea to learn about sponges, visit these links listed below, and be sure to visit the Forum, and sign our Guest Book.
Learn about what a sponge actually looks like in its underwater habitat.
Explore the inside of a sponge and find out how it survives.
Discover what a sponge’s daily life is like and what it normally does.
Explore the depths of the ocean.
Welcome to Sponge Land. Learn about the places that sponges live.
Learn about different types of sponges. See how scientists discover and name them.
Investigate different uses for sponges both now and in history.
These are just a few interesting facts that you probably didn’t know! If you want to find something, go to our search engine!
