FIRST BLOOD: ORIGINS
Generally recognise that the Sea Sponges are the first creatures on Planet Earth after over 4 Billion Yrs of Evolution. They are our primival ancestors as shown by genetic sequencing, lying at the bottom of the Animal Tree.
But it has no muscles, limbs, nervous system or brain. It is but a loose assemblage of Cells and has no definitive shapes but 9000 species have been identified. It lives on the Ocean Floor from the frigid waters of the Poles to the warm Tropics and in freshwater pools.
Sponges may be soft collagens of silica or rigid with calcite spicules embedded in their body. It may be described as a living filtering machine, sucking in water and filtering of food particles (usually bacteria). They are asexual creatures.
Watch the following Clips in sequence to get a better understanding of our evolutionary ancestor, The Porifera
General Introduction
Clip 2 Sponges: You Take My Breath Away
Clip 3 Sponges: A Living Filtering Machine
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