A Research vessel found SpongeBob-like SpongeBobs Mile Under the Ocean's SurfaceA sea expedition that explored more than a mile below the Atlantic's surface captured this startling sight: a sponge that looked very similar to SpongeBob Squarepants.It's right next to it is a pink sea star, Patrick, SpongeBob’s dimwitted best friend.NOAA's Okeanos Explorer captured video this week of a well-known sponge and sea star. The two of them aren't so good friends in real life.Christopher Mah was among the scientists who watched a live feed of a submersible being launched from the NOAA ship Okeanos Explore. He is a Research Associate at the National Museum of Natural History and collaborates often with NOAA. He is also an expert in starfish.Mah noticed immediately the resemblance between the animated friends and the underwater creatures. Mah says that they are a dead ringer to the cartoon characters.He tweeted a picture of them, noting their resemblance. This delighting many people. Someone added legs and faces.Bad news: Sponges and sea stars don't really get alongMah believes that the creatures are not just chilling under the ocean, but that there is a reason they are so close: the starfish eat sponges.He says that starfish are likely to be right next to a sponge because the sponge is about to be eaten, at least in part.Maybe not. Mah suggests that the sponge could be bright yellow because of its chemical defenses.He says that, in either case, "The truth is a little harsher than a cartoon would suggest."A sponge is Hertwigia in scientific terms. A starfish is a Chondraster.Mah believes that the starfish spotted during the expedition was likely a species called a "chondraster grandis" the pink starfish, which was most likely the inspiration for Patrick's character.Click to enlarge the image. Caption: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images For Nickelodeon Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images For NickelodeonAlthough the sponge in real life is yellow like the Nickelodeon character's, Spongebob is a different shape.Mah says that SpongeBob looks like a rectangular plastic cleaning sponge. But actual deep-sea sponges? They're almost unbelievable. They have bizarre and crazy shapes.Patrick's anatomy doesn't exactly match that of a starfish.The expedition explored the Atlantic deeps.The famous starfish and sponge were discovered 200 miles offshore from the Atlantic coast.This find was part NOAA's North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition, which lasted a month on the Okeanos Explorer. It sought to gather information about deepwater areas that are not well understood and uncharted off the east coast of the United States. The expedition included mapping the seafloor, explorations of deep-sea coral sponge habitats, fish habitats, and the ecoystems for seamounts (which are underwater mountains).Click to enlarge the image. Caption: NOAA Ocean Exploration NOAA Ocean ExplorationDeep-sea life is not well understoodAre we being silly about a sponge that looks like animated sponges?Yes, Mah. He welcomes attention, however, if it makes people think about the ocean life.These are animals the public may not have seen before. He notes that they live at about 2,000 meters deep.He hopes that the hubbub will bring awareness to starfish and sponges, as well as their habitat which is being threatened by forces such mining and fishing.It was nice to see the positive responses from Twitter users.They're like "Oh, my god, this is perfect." This is amazing. This is amazing. "If we can bring positivity to people and make them happy by showing nature how it is, then that's exactly what nature has done for us.
