probably most familiar as the traditional
'bath sponges' of recent years - which are
actually the dried corpses of this most
'spongy' of sponges, used for their mild
exfoliating properties and ability to absorb
water. The fossil record of the Spongiidae
shows that these sponges have
been a feature of the sea floor
at varied depths since the
beginnings of the
Carboniferous Period.