Description

• A sea sponge is a multi-cellular animal that resembles a plant in that it attaches itself to solid objects and remains sedentary throughout its entire life. It contains small holes called ostia that lead to a system of canals lined with special cells that help collect oxygen and food from the ocean currents.
  
  

Reproduction

• Sea sponges can reproduce both asexually, through a regenerative process, and sexually, containing both male and female organs. The sperm fertilizes the eggs, which can be retained by the sponge (most species) or released into the water.
  
  

Habitats

• Sea sponges live in warm Caribbean waters to cold, polar waters. They are found in shallow water and deep water. They are more abundant in temperate waters than tropical waters, due to the saturation of predators in temperate climates.
  
  

Species Variation

• There are nine-thousand known species of sea sponges throughout the world. While most are a collection of interconnected fibers, a jelly-like substance called mesohyl and collagen, one group, called glass sponges, have a scaffolding construction with their living tissue suspended in a cobweb-like structure.
  
  

Commercial Uses

• Wool and grass sponges are used for bathing due to their soft texture, where yellow sponges are best for exfoliation, as its texture is rough.