About

Did you know that sea sponges are actually animals? Pretty simple animals mind you. They don’t have nervous, digestive or respiratory systems and are really just a collection of specialised cells. The scientific name for sponge is Porifera, which means "Pore bearer" - this is because they are covered in holes through which seawater is drawn in. Within the sponge is a central cavity lined with little beating hair-like structures called cilia. These create a continuous current of seawater and collect the little morsels of food suspended in it. Wastewater is then pushed out of larger outlet vents. In the breadcrumb sponge, these outlet vents look like chimneys! The breadcrumb sponge is common around the UK and found on rocky shores and on rocky seabeds or cobbles beneath the low water mark. It is what is known as an encrusting sponge, meaning it grows on the surface of rocks and is common on damp overhangs on rocky shores. It comes in lots of different colours, from cream to olive green, as well as many different forms. It can have tall chimneys, grow in smooth sheets or even have a granular breadcrumb-like surface that led to its common name. Because of all of these different forms, it was thought to be lots of different species - but it is in fact just one... albeit with many different guises!