Carnivorous Sponges!

Yes, the title of this post does sound like the name of an Alternative band, but it isn’t. At least not that I know of.

I came across this article and thought I’d be clever. The first animal ever to appear on earth, and appearing over 250 million years earlier than scientists had previously believed. If that animal was a predator, I could get all philosophical and junk and talk about how right from the very beginning Nature was “red in tooth and claw” like Tennyson said, all under the dominion of “the Red” as it was called in Alan Moore’s SWAMP THING comics. A predator predating (See what I did, there?) even the freakishly fearsome but miniscule SACCORHYTUS! Alas, a little research put the kibosh on my plans–but revealed something else almost as interesting.

I don’t know a lot about sponges. I’m betting you don’t, either. I DID know that they were animals. I did not know, prior to reading that linked article, that they were the first animals ever to appear on this planet, dating back a whopping 640 million years ago. Sadly, while I was hoping that sponges are considered carnivorous, and thus predators, they aren’t, not strictly speaking. They filter nutrients from seawater. Well, pooh.

However, I DID learn that there are carnivorous sponges, after all. These predatory sponges have only been around 60 million years, though, so they’re still wet behind the ears compared to their distant relatives.

I’m supposed to talk about monsters on this site, though, and carnivorous sponges might not be up to some folks’ expectations, so pictured is the Sponge Monster of Key West, Florida. I met the beast the last time I was down that way. Nice fella. Cuddly, even.

By The Evil Cheezman

WAYNE MILLER is the owner and creative director of EVIL CHEEZ PRODUCTIONS (www.evilcheezproductions.blogspot.com, www.facebook.com/evilcheezproductions), specializing in theatrical performances and haunted attractions. He has written, produced and directed (and occasionally acted in) over a dozen plays, most of them in the Horror and Crime genres. His first novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER: WEREWOLF, is available for purchase at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763 MORTUI VELOCES SUNT!

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