marine sponges
Sessile sea organisms
Marine sponges are simple aquatic animals that attach to underwater surfaces and filter nutrients from seawater.
Despite their plant-like appearance, they're among the oldest multicellular organisms on Earth.
The term distinguishes ocean-dwelling species from freshwater sponges and from the synthetic cleaning products that borrowed their name.
- spiculesSmall needle-like structures
- filter feedersOrganisms sieving food from water
- water filtrationRemoving impurities from liquid
- biomedical researchScientific study of health
- natural productsCompounds from organisms
overharvesting · bioindicators · symbiosis · cytotoxicity · ocean acidification · colonies · habitat destruction · invertebrate · tide · loofah · deep sea · substrate · reef ecosystems · ocean life · soft · absorbent · anemone · seabed
- sponges
marine spongesnekton
Self-propelling aquatic organisms
dolphins · sharks · squid · whales · migratory fish
marine spongesvertebrates
Animals with internal skeletons
mammals · cephalopods · humans · marine mammals · dolphins