Often underappreciated, sponges were among the earliest animals in the ocean and have adapted into amazing shapes and colors.

What Are Sponges? Maybe the Future of the Reef.

What are sponges? They’re animals, perhaps animals that stretch our conception of the term, but animals for sure. It’s easy to dismiss them as just backdrop scenery to more exotic stuff on the reef. But ocean sponges come in amazing shapes and colors, chug along with body features unique in the animal kingdom and perform important reef-related roles.  Sponges were among the earliest arrivals in the ocean. And, if corals disappear, sponges may be the

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