Is a sponge an animal or plant?

• Household sponges used for cleaning were inspired by the marine animals of the same name. Before synthetic sponges were made, divers would collect certain types of sponges from the ocean floor And then dry them in the sun before being used as bath sponges.

• Because of their appearance, sponges are often mistaken for plants. But they are animals, despite not having the body parts that we normally associate with animals.

• Sponges are in the animal group (phylum) Porifera, which means “hole bearing.” Water, along with microscopic animals and plants (plankton), flow through tiny holes (called ostia) into the sponge. Feeding cells inside the animal gather food before the water exits through the larger holes (called oscula).

• Sponges are plentiful in the world’s oceans, there are thousands of sponge species! They help shelter other animals. In fact, cloud sponges (Aphrocallistes vastus) living in British Columbia waters are nurseries for young rockfish.

Want to learn about who invented the sponge? Check it out here  https://www.wipedout.ca/pages/the-invention-of-the-sponge