Scientists from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) discovered an enormous deep-sea creature off the coast of Hawaii — and it turned out to be the largest sea sponge ever recorded.
The discovery happened during a 2015 expedition in the Pacific Ocean. Using a remotely operated underwater robot, researchers explored depths of about 2,117 meters (over one mile down) inside the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. There, they found a massive glass sponge belonging to the Rossellidae family.
This sponge is huge — over 3.5 meters long and about 2 meters wide, roughly the size of a car. Because of its size, it holds the world record as the biggest sponge ever found.
Scientists believe it could be thousands of years old. It has grown slowly over time by filtering bacteria and plankton from the water — a process called filter feeding.
Even though the discovery was made years ago, it recently gained attention again after being highlighted by BBC Wildlife.
In short: deep under the ocean, researchers found a giant, ancient sponge — one of the largest and possibly oldest living sea organisms ever discovered.