Where do sponges come from?

The soft, absorbent, natural sponges used in baths are the skeletal remains of a marine animal. Biologists once thought sponges were plants. This seemed natural as sponges have no special shape and attach themselves to one spot on the sea-bed like plants. Also, they have no limbs, mouths or internal organs. Today, however, they are classified as animals.

The familiar commercial sponges are gathered by divers or by dredging ships. They are praised from the sea floor and dried in the sun. After any impurities have been washed out of the sponge, it is ready to be sold in the market. Some of the best sponges are found off the coasts of Turkey, Greece and Egypt.