• Until 1765, sponges were thought to be plants because they were so simple.

• Some sponges actually destroy coral reefs.

• Within a sponge, it is possible to find 16,000 other animals!

• Sponges use chemicals to prevent other sponges from growing near them. These chemicals keep cells from growing.

• Chemicals from sponges are being used to find a cure for cancer and other diseases!

• Every year, new types of sponges are discovered.

• There are sponge fossils that actually date back to one billion years ago.
 

• The largest sponge ever measured was about 10 feet wide. It was a Monoraphus sponge.

• Some sponges can actually move instead of staying in one place their entire lives.

• Near Florida and in other areas, sponges live on the backs of hermit crabs and act as a type of shell.

• Sponges may live several thousand feet below the surface of the ocean.

• 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.

• When sponges are strained through a piece of cloth, they come back together into a new shape on the other side of the cloth.

• Inside a sponge, there are no organs. Special cells carry out all the processes.

• Sponges are protected from predators by sharp needles known as spicules.