Off the coast of Florida
See how sponges catch a ride
And glide across the ocean floor
With a mystery beneath their under side

Most sponges are sessile, and they remain in one place for the entire duration of their lives, fulfilling the tasks that nature had appointed to them. A few move; however, it’s at an average rate of only 4 milimeters per day! So, scientists were naturally astonished when they initially observed poriferans scuttling across the ocean floor, at a rather reasonable rate. Eventually, they probed beneath the surface of this interesting phenomena and discovered the hermit crab sponge.

Currently, hermit crab sponges have been investigated to re-affirm or enhance previous theories. Each year, new information and insight is discovered. Often, scientists must re-define the information which they had published only a few years earlier. Each successive year, scientists are closer to establishing an ideal comprehension of these intriguing specimens.