Study Reveals Sneezing Behavior of Sea Sponge Off B.C. Coast
A new study shows that sea sponges off British Columbia can sneeze, revealing their surprising behavior and response to environmental changes.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Sea Sponge, Sneeze, Marine Ecology
Vancouver: So, there’s this fascinating study about sea sponges off the coast of British Columbia. Turns out, these little guys can actually sneeze! Researchers have been watching them for years, and they found that sponges have this cool way of clearing out debris while they filter feed.
Professor Sally Leys and her team set up cameras on the ocean floor to capture their behavior over four years. They noticed that when dirt gets on the sponge, it reacts by wrapping it up in mucus and pushing it out, kind of like a slow sneeze. The smaller the sponge, the quicker the sneeze, which is pretty wild!
They even named one sponge “Belinda,” which is about the size of a fist. While it might look like it’s just sitting there, the long-term footage showed it was actually quite active, bouncing around and doing its thing. Who knew sponges could be so lively?
The study also revealed that these sponges change their size and color with the seasons. In winter, they shrink down and go dormant, which is surprising since they don’t have muscles or a nervous system. It seems like they have an instinct to respond to less food by getting smaller.
During the summer, when there’s more food in the water, they start sneezing again to regain their shape. This research is groundbreaking because it’s the longest continuous observation of sponges in the wild. Even though the cameras were taken down in 2015, divers recently confirmed that Belinda is still around and doing well.
Leys hopes to get the cameras back in place to keep studying these sponges. She believes that understanding their behavior could help us learn more about how they adapt to changes in the ocean. It’s all pretty exciting, and I can’t wait to see what they discover next!