Fossil specimen of a sponge in chert. Yellow in colour.
Sponges choose to live in clear, calm water because sandy or muddy water clogs up its pores and make it difficult to feed. It avoids being eaten by producing poisonous chemicals. These chemicals also stop other animals from attaching themselves to its body.
These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.
The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.
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