Diving with Sponges
Lanta Marine Life | Porifera
Sponges are some of the oldest known multi cellular animal inhabiting the earth and have been around for over 500 million years.
They are one of the reefs most important sedentary inhabitants, filtering water through their porous bodies, ingesting nutrients as food and releasing essential nutrients back in the seas through their main cavity called the Osculum.
Sponges are diverse in their shapes and colours, ranging from encrusting layers over rocks with tubes of 1mm to huge volcanic like structures of over a 1.5 mtr. There are over 5000 species of Sponge found in salt water, from the very shallows out to the depths of the ocean floors. They prefer clearer waters as silt can clog their pores, suffocating the Sponge of oxygen and food.
Scientists regard Sponges as bit of a mystery; unlike other animals they lack true tissue, organs and nerve systems. Yet they are still able to react to environmental changes, restore broken parts and regenerate after damage and even grow new sponges from broken pieces.
Sponges can reproduce both asexually and sexually. When sperm is released into the water, nearby Sponges will absorb the sperm and fertilise their eggs. The eggs hatch and tiny larvae are released, these will then settle on the reef creating the beginnings of a new Sponge.
It is also been recently discovered that Sponges have to ability to sneeze! Not a traditional 'A-Choo' but when something odd has been detected by the Sponge and caused stimuli in the osculum, it can contract it's whole body and expel jets of water in a sneeze-like fashion removing the irritant.
Diving with Sponges around Koh Lanta
Scuba Diving & Snorkel Trips
If you'd love a chance to spot Sponges on one of our daily high season diving trips from Koh Lanta then send us an email to info@diveandrelax.com.
Join our high season speedboat dive trips to some of Thailand's best dive sites and enjoy small groups, short journey times, with a focus on great personal service, safety and fun.
Not yet a certified diver? Learn to Scuba Dive on Koh Lanta with the 3 day SSI Open Water Diver course.
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Find Out More
Indo-Pacific Marine Life Guides
- Allen, G., Steene, R., Humann, P., DeLoach, N. (2003) Reef Fish Identification, Tropical Pacific. Jacksonville, FL., USA: New World Publications, Inc., ISBN 1-878348-36-1.
- Humann, P., DeLoach, N., (2010) Reef Creature Identification, Tropical Pacific. Jacksonville, FL., USA: New World Publications Inc., ISBN 978-1-878348-44-9
- Debelius, H. (2013) Indian Ocean Reef Guide. Frankfurt, Germany: IKAN - Unterwasserarchiv, ISBN 978-3-939767-52-7.
- Debelius, H. (2004) Nudibranchs and Sea Snails, Indo-Pacific Field Guide. Frankfurt, Germany: IKAN - Unterwasserarchiv, ISBN 3-925919-51-1
- Erhardt, H., Knop, D. (2015) Corals Indo-Pacific Field Guide. Frankfurt, Germany: IKAN - Unterwasserarchiv, ISBN 3-925919-69-4.
- Veron J.E.N., Stafford-Smith M.G., Turak E. and DeVantier L.M. (2016). Corals of the World