10 interesting facts about sponges – the most non-standard animals of our planet

This living organism does not have a brain, digestive system, tissues and organs, but still the sea sponge is classified as an animal. They are especially known for their ability to regenerate. Figuratively speaking, if you sift a sponge through a sieve, it will still be able to recover.

They have an average lifespan of 20 years, but there are species that can live up to 1 years. This uncomplicated organism is widely used for human purposes. Previously, they were taken from the seabed to be sold as washcloths, but now people have learned how to make a similar type of artificial material. However, it is the washcloth that is very similar to this living organism.

To date, more than 8 types of sponges are known, and only 000 of them are used for domestic purposes. Sponges live in different conditions and have a variety of forms. These are unique animals, so we have collected for you the 11 most interesting facts about sponges.

10 Serves as a natural water filter

Some types of sponges are widely used by people. Since ancient times, they have been used as a portable drinking vessel, for lining under a helmet and for filtering water.. They have many biological compounds. They have antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal and even anticancer properties.

Sea sponges pump over 200 times their own body volume every day. The cleanliness of the pool depends on them. They can control the amount of water they let through by shrinking and narrowing their pores. More than a thousand tiny flagella are constantly beating, thereby filtering the continuous flow of water. They can be called “filter feeders” of the sea.

9. Among them there are predators

Basically, sponges are primitive animals, but there are also predators among them. The predatory sponge Asbestopluma hypogea from the Cladorhizidae family was discovered in 1996.. It lives in cold waters, the temperature of which does not exceed 13-15 degrees. At a depth of up to 25 meters, it attaches its oval body to the walls of the cave and waits for prey.

The sponge feeds on small arthropods, which it catches with its filaments equipped with hooks. Food is digested within a few days. Recall that this organism does not have a familiar digestive system. Each cell participates in the process and independently eats the prey. This is how they spend their whole lives. They do not move, but simply sit on a hard surface and wait for prey.

8. They don’t have internal organs.

Sponges have neither tissues nor organs familiar to other living beings.. But they interact with the outside world in a single way in all parts of their body. Each cell performs its own functions and tasks, but they have a poorly developed relationship. In science, it is generally accepted that sponges do not even have tissues.

The process of swallowing and digesting food occurs in a very peculiar way. Predatory sponges capture prey and divide it into small pieces, each of which is assigned to a specific cell involved in eating. The capture process resembles that of an amoeba.

7. There are three types

Scientists have identified three types of construction of sponges: ascon, sicon, leucon. The latter version of sponges is considered more complex due to its structure and functions. Sponges of the leuconoid type most often live in colonies.

6. Live in one place permanently

Sea sponges live at the bottom, some on the walls of caves. They attach themselves to a hard surface and remain motionless.. They are not picky about the environment. They can easily coexist in cold and warm waters, as well as in dark caves where light never penetrates.

Some species are even in freshwater, but they are not used for human needs. The sponges from the Mediterranean, the Aegean and the Red Sea received the highest quality.

5. Dolphins clean their intestines with their help

Scientists have long paid attention to the fact that some dolphins hunt with sponges on their noses. The observers were sure they were doing it for protection. Indeed, in search of food, dolphins could injure themselves.

But then they began to notice that the diet of dolphins that hunt in this way, and dolphins that do not use this trick, is very different. The former eat food that is more useful to them, hunting closer to the shore and not being afraid of getting hurt. In this way, sponges affect the digestive system of mammals.

4. People used to stop bleeding

Sponges were used for various purposes. The thinnest and softest have been used in surgery to stop bleeding since ancient times.. Euspongia was chosen for this purpose. This sponge is also called Toilet. Even in ancient times, it was used for various hygienic purposes. Due to the fact that this species was often hunted, today its population has been greatly reduced.

But many other sponges retain their medicinal properties, thanks to beneficial biological compounds. Marine sponges are the richest source of pharmacologically active compounds of all marine organisms.

3. Often used as washcloths

In the modern world, sponge washcloths are no longer popular, but they are still produced. For the most part, they are bought by those who are allergic to synthetic materials or who care for their skin only with natural materials.

For these purposes, take a natural Mediterranean or Caribbean sponge. The softest and most porous sponges are found in these seas. Such washcloths were recognized as the most gentle and delicate, they can be used even every day. Before use, pour the sponge with warm water. It will swell and acquire all the qualities necessary for washing.

2. They made a cure for cancer

The beneficial properties of sea sponges have been known since ancient times, so scientists decided to go further and create a cure for an invincible disease from them. Scientists from America and Japan were able to synthesize molecules from some types of sponges and create the strongest medicine from them, it can be used to slow down and eradicate serious diseases, including cancer.…

Back in 1980, laboratory workers recognized a specific molecule that can affect malignant tumors. This was found out using laboratory studies on mice.

By 1990, Japanese scientists managed to create a cure for cancer, he was given a name – Eisai. It was approved by all higher authorities and now they are actively treating breast cancer. The process of studying and inventing drugs has not stopped, now active work is underway on new drugs that will help in chemotherapy and in the treatment of a rare type of cancer of various vessels.

1. Can live up to two hundred years

Some types of sponges can live up to two hundred years.. Such centenarians usually live on the deep-sea bottom of the ocean. One of the main factors that can shorten their lives are the dolphins that eat them. These mammals regale on them not so much for saturation, but for some kind of prevention.

The longevity of such a mysterious creature as a sponge can be explained by the simplicity of their organism. If there are no complex systems, then nothing can break. Many scientists believe that it is sponges that will be able, and may have once been able, to survive the mass extinction of species.