Sue Hollis , Underwater Sponge (January Theme: Blue)

Sponges are very simple beings, unchanged for the last 600 million years. They are an animal, not a plant, but have no brain, no central nervous system, no heads, eyes, tails nor legs. They feed by filtering water through pores and can recycle 1000's of litres of water each day. They actually possess chemical compounds and toxins which are currently being developed to treat HIV AIDS, heart disease as well as arthritis. These antibiotic properties are already in use helping to promote the healing of wounds and scars. They also have the ability to regenerate themselves, meaning if a piece is broken off, then it becomes a totally new sponge. So next time you pick up that household sponge, spare a thought for the cleverness and beauty of the not-so humble sponge.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.