How do sponges move around?

Answer

The sponges or poriferansare animals of the phylum Porifera.

They are primitive, sessile, mostly marine, water dwelling, filter feeders that pump water through their bodies to filter out particles of food matter. Sponges represent the simplest of animals.

With no true tissues (parazoa), they lack muscles, nerves, and internal organs.

There are over 5,000 modern species of sponges known, and they can be found attached to surfaces anywhere from the intertidal zone to as deep as 8,500 m (29,000 feet) or further.

Their habitats range from the inter-tidal zone to depths of 6,000 metres (19,680 feet).

Adult sponges are largely sessile, and live in an attached position. However, it has been noted that certain sponges can move slowly by directing their water current in a certain direction with myocytes. Some kinds of sponges are able to attach themselves to soft sediment by means of a root-like base. Sponges also live in quiet clear waters, because if the sediment is agitated by wave action or by currents, it tends to block the pores of the animal, lessening its ability to feed and survive.

First answer by Elenst. Last edit by Elenst. Contributor trust: 108 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 10 [recommend question]