Recently, on an oceanic expedition exploring more than 1 km below the surface of the Atlantic, a group of researchers managed to capture a surprising sight: a sponge that looked a lot like SpongeBob SquarePants – the classic that marked our childhood.
The scientist Christopher Mah watched a live stream of a submersible launched from NOAA's Okeanos Explorer.
He is a researcher at the National Museum of Natural History (USA) who frequently collaborates with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He is also an expert on starfish.
Mah immediately noticed the similarity of the underwater creatures to the animated friends.
"They're just lookalikes of cartoon characters," Mah told NPR.
Rather than prowling the seafloor, Mah suspects a different reason for the creatures' proximity: starfish like to feed on sponges.
“In all likelihood, the reason the starfish is right next to the sponge is because that sponge is about to be devoured, at least in part,” he says.
Anyway, he says:
“Reality is a little crueler than perhaps a cartoon might suggest.”
And you, what did you think about this SpongeBob curiosity found at the bottom of the sea?
