sponge
(also called ‘poriferan’; mostly used in its plural form ‘sponges‘; for the right pronunciation of this word, please click here)
a kind of water animal – mostly sea water – plant like structure full of ‘pores’, very small holes, to let in water flow – no back-bone or bones, no nervous, digestive or respiratory system – different shapes –tube, cup, vase, etc; size: from less an inch to 6 feet tall; feeds on (eats) bacteria, and very small living organisms by filter feeding (= letting in water through pores, holes, absorbing the nutrients, and letting out the water through other pores); some species live for a few years but some live for 200 years or more; about 10,000 species, found in most temperate sea and fresh waters of the world
colourful sponges in sea
Though dead sponges look mostly pale brown in colour, the live sponges in seas are found in different bright colours!
Of the 10,000 species of sponges, only 150 species live in fresh water, and the rest are found in sea water!
natural sponges used while bathing
In olden days, sponges were used as padding for helmets, drinking utensils, water filters, kitchen and body cleaning tools, applicators for paint, ceramic glazes, and in medicine, including as birth control devices!!
Even in these modern days, some types of sponges are used as kitchen and body cleaning tool, especially in special spas and in herbal physiotherapy treatments, and in some herbal and folk medicine.
Some people keep sponges, along with corals, in their aquariums (fish tanks).
These days, the synthetic (artificial) sponges have replaced the natural sponges.
(artificial/man-made sponges)
1.
sponge (noun) =
(a) a person who eats a lot of food eagerly, with large mouthfuls
(b) a drunkard, a person who drinks a lot of alcohol
(c) a person who can learn or acquire new skills easily
2.
to sponge (verb) =
(a) to clean something using a soft sponge-like thing
(b) to get something for free (from somebody else)
(c) to live by depending on the others’ generosity
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