Sponge (Barrel)
About the Sponge (Barrel)
Some barrel sponges in the Caribbean are estimated to be over 2,300 years old, making them among the oldest living animals on Earth. Sponges have no brain, nervous system, or organs yet can still respond to their environment. They filter 50,000x their own volume of water daily. Over 9,000 species exist. They were among the first multicellular animals. They can regenerate from fragments. Some produce powerful anti-cancer compounds. They host thousands of bacterial species. They are being studied for novel antibiotics. Their cells can reaggregate after being separated through a sieve.
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