Animal Fact Files's video: Freshwater Sponge facts: they were once considered plants Animal Fact Files

There are approximately 200 living species of these delicate sponges. They appear in clean water systems like lakes and slow moving streams. Freshwater sponges have a green appearance due to algae that live on them but they can also appear brown, beige, and white. Freshwater sponges are porous and might seem slimy like algae since they come in a similar color, but they're quite coarse. Freshwater sponges look like plants but they eat other organisms to survive and can't produce their own energy - so they're animals! Scientific Name: Family - Spongillidae Range: clean, clear water systems throughout the world Size: 1-4cm thick (up to 1.5inches); more than 3 feet (91cm) across (or much, much smaller) Diet: planktonic organisms and nutrients from symbiotic algae Lifespan: potentially indefinite through asexual reproduction You can learn more on: Twitter - https://twitter.com/animalfactfiles Facebook - https://facebook.com/animalfactfiles --- We always do what we can to be as accurate as possible, but we're only human; if you catch a mistake please let us know and provide a link for verification! --- All images, videos and sound effects used herein are 1) public domain, 2) used under a Creative Commons license, 3) used with the express permission of the copyright holder, or 4) used under the parameters of Fair Use law. Credits via Youtube: Krzysztof Lewinski - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNgbx1a1Xkg MicrophonicFool - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akeUz5ryPos Credits via Flickr: Dr Mary Gillham - https://www.flickr.com/photos/marygillhamarchiveproject/37737816912 Heikki Rauhala - https://www.flickr.com/photos/hvrauhal/7670515968; https://www.flickr.com/photos/hvrauhal/7670494456 Credits via Wiki Users: Kirt L. Onthank - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spongilla_lacustris.jpg Lamiot - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gemmules_Spongilla_lacustris_438.JPG; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gemmules_Spongilla_lacustris_2014-10-31_a568.JPG; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gemmules_Spongilla_lacustris_DSCN4463.JPG; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gemmules_Spongilla_lacustris_2014-11-16_a_3722.JPG; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gemmules_Spongilla_lacustris_2014-11-16_a_3723.JPG; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gemmules_Spongilla_lacustris_DSCN4474.JPG; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gemmules_Spongilla_lacustris_2014-10-31_a574.JPG; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gemmules_Spongilla_lacustris_2014-11-16_a_3721.JPG; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gemmules_Spongilla_lacustris_2014-11-16_a_3724.JPG; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gemmules_Spongilla_lacustris_2014-11-16_a_3727.JPG; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gemules_grande_Spongilla_lacustris_2014-11-10.jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pseudof%C3%A8ces_moules_z%C3%A9br%C3%A9es_sur_spongilla_lacustris_2014_10_02.jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%C3%89ponge_d%27eau_douce_Spongilla_lacustris_Authie_Lamiot_2017a_10.jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%C3%89ponge_d%27eau_douce_de_forme_complexe_Spongilla_lacustris_F_Lamiot_2017_05.jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%C3%89ponge_d%27eau_douce_de_forme_complexe_Spongilla_lacustris_F_Lamiot_2017_06.jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%C3%89ponge_d%27eau_douce_de_forme_complexe_Spongilla_lacustris_F_Lamiot_2017_03.jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%C3%89ponge_d%27eau_douce_Authie_Lamiot_2017a_04.jpg; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spongilla_lacustris_%C3%A9ponge_d%27eau_douce_Authie_Lamiot_2017a_09.jpg Other attributions: seawildearth - https://vimeo.com/56526602 ROV Innovations - https://vimeo.com/103309904 Websites used for research collection: https://www.britannica.com/animal/freshwater-sponge https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=47691 https://www.nps.gov/articles/freshwater-sponges.htm https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/gisresources/lakes/AquaticPlantGuide/descriptions/bryozoan.html https://phys.org/news/2019-03-clues-freshwater-sponges.html http://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=IZSPN14010 https://www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/2016/8/9/freshwater-sponges http://fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors/HTML/articles/portraits/2012/sponges.htm https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ivb.12258 https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ecology_and_Classification_of_North_Amer/iOI9ifbikoQC https://www.google.com/books/edition/Tracking_Environmental_Change_Using_Lake/hurdBgAAQBAJ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Identification_Guide_of_Freshwater_Macro/-mm5rt6IRxwC https://www.google.com/books/edition/Pennak_s_Freshwater_Invertebrates_of_the/GqIctb8IqPoC This video is licensed under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)*. *you can find information about all the different types of CC licenses here: https://creativecommons.org/ **changes were made to the original