World's largest sea sponge found in Hawaii waters - size of a minivan

[muriel_volestrangler]

Scientists say the discovery of the world's largest known sea sponge in deep waters off Hawaii happened by accident.

The ancient giant, which has its own ecosystem, was discovered by a United States National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration research project exploring waters in the Pacific Ocean.

The unusually shaped sponge is more than 2 metres wide and over 3.5 metres long, comparable in size to a minivan.

"It looked like a folded blanket," Dr Christopher Kelly, a research scientist with NOAA and co-lead for the expedition, told Pacific Beat.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-26/world27s-largest-sea-sponge-found/7449454

[MFM008]

1. maybe over 1000 years old

its super sponge.

[complain jane]

2. Amazing!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. Interesting. But the journalism seems to need work.

"Sea sponge"? All sponges live in the sea (as opposed to fresh water or land).

"plant"? Sponges are animals.

[Scootaloo]

4. I don't see plants mentioned anywhere

And there are freshwater sponges

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. Oops. I read "giant" as "plant". :)

[Surya Gayatri]

5. A forgotten character from the filming of Spongebob Squarepants, perhaps? LOL!

[Judi Lynn]

7. May it live at least another thousand years. Wonderful to behold. It also aids its environment. n/t

[Cly]

8. Breaking News from DC

Congressional Republicans want to cut off funding for the sponge. "Clearly a parasite, sucking taxpayer dollars while giving nothing in return," said Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma. When informed that such was not the case, Inhofe cast about for a snowball to throw at the interviewer. Finding none, he collapsed to the floor, curled up into the fetal position, and proceeded to cry like a four-year-old for nearly three hours.