What is sea sponge

There are many different varieties of sea sponges, and these come in widely varying shapes and sizes. They can be very large, and grow in elaborate branched formations, or be round and small, or grow flat or in a tube shape. Some are brilliantly colored, though they fade when they are harvested. Sea sponges are thought to have evolved at least 700 million years ago. They are among the simplest animal organisms, having no specialized organs such as heart and lungs, and no locomotion. Sponges live attached to rocks on the sea bed. Their bodies consist of skeletons made of a soft material called spongin, and a leathery skin broken by pores. The sponge eats by pumping seawater in through its pores. It filters microscopic plants from the water, and expels the excess water through one or more large holes called oscula. It also absorbs oxygen directly from seawater. Sponges are slow-growing, taking several years to reach full size, and some live for hundreds of years.

Seaweed Sponge Iphone Case

Sea sponges were used since ancient times in the Mediterranean region where they are most common. Roman soldiers each carried a personal sponge, which served the purpose of modern toilet paper, and they were certainly used for other purposes as well. Artificial sponges were first developed by the Du Pont company—a leader in synthetic materials manufacturing industry that also invented nylon—in the 1940s. Three DuPont engineers patented the cellulose sponge process, and DuPont held onto the secret until 1952, when it sold its sponge technology to General Mills. In the second half of the twentieth century, cellulose sponges rapidly replaced the natural sponge for most common household uses.