But sea sponges don’t just passively absorb food and oxygen. They’re adept at filtering out toxic substances and unhealthy particles. Their flagella, which look like tiny hairs, create currents that catch nutrients and expel bacteria. They take in water through their outer walls and eject it through what looks like a miniature mouth. They can even sneeze out mucus through their pores. Some sea sponges can live more than 2,000 years.
