Did you know that sponges are animals? Marine and freshwater sponges inhabit all latitudes of our planet and all depths of aquatic ecosystems. They are the simplest animals in the invertebrate group: they have no specialized organs or tissues. Sponges have intelligent cells, which work in concert and perform different functions. There are more than 6,000 different species, and their skeleton consists of spicules made of calcium carbonate or silicon dioxide. Spicules are tiny ‘spines’ that can only be seen under a microscope. Do you remember when we played macateta or matatena? Well, the highlights are the same as the parts of that game.

Although at first glance they don’t seem to ‘do much’, sponges are superfilters and food producers for other organisms. They clean the oceans, because more than two liters of water pass through their walls per minute. The cells in charge of feeding extract the particles of the water that is pumped, whether it is organic matter, bacteria or even plankton, and thus feeds the sponge. There are many varieties and colors, from red, orange and purple to blue and yellow. As for the shape, they can be flattened, tubular, conical, fan-shaped, even in the form of meat on a stick. As technology advances and with the help of underwater robots called ROVs, we continue to discover new species of sponges, one more striking than the other. Previously, these natural sponges were used for bathing; now we use synthetic sponges in the shower and for washing dishes. However, in some parts of the world, natural sponges are still extracted for personal cleaning purposes.

Mother nature likes to tell stories, sometimes romantic, sometimes happy, or a little sad, but always with a lesson…

There is a very romantic story surrounding these animals. There are glass sponges, also called ‘Venus’ flower basket’. The skeleton of these species is made of silicon dioxide, the same material as glass. Small shrimps enter the interior of this sponge, where they have shelter and food. Sounds like an ideal situation; however, while they eat and grow, the shrimp remain trapped in this glass cage. A happy couple of crayfish, without the possibility of divorce, lives in this house and even reproduces. At birth, their cubs run away from the glass sponge, because their size allows it. The most romantic thing is that the life of a crayfish is five years, while sponges can live for hundreds of thousands of years. Crayfish bodies, just like Sump lovers, will live forever in this glass basket. This bond symbolizes eternal love and that is why in some Asian cultures Venus’s basket containing the shrimp was taken out and given to the newlyweds on their wedding day.

Mother nature loves to tell stories, sometimes romantic, sometimes happy or a little sad, but always with a lesson that we can apply in our lives. Nature is our best teacher. (OR)