In the area of \u200b\u200bthe Mc-Merdo Gulf in Antarctica, the appearance of a sponge lives, known as a giant volcanic sponge (Anoxycalyx Joubini). According to scientists, these sponges can be the most ancient creatures on Earth, reports iflscience.
It is believed that sponges could be the first creatures that appeared on the planet. At the same time, they can be the most ancient of the living.
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Anoxycalyx Joubini can grow up to 1.5 meters in diameter and up to 1.95 meters in height. They live at a depth of 15 to 144 meters. Scientists evaluate the age of the sponges on the basis of how quickly they grow. Researchers watched A. JUBINI for 22 years and found out that they need a lot of time to grow.
“Anoxycalyx Joubini - the largest and most noticeable sponge in the Antarctic, and although its height reached 2 meters, it was never observed for it to settled or grew up. What led us to the idea of \u200b\u200bher extreme durability, ”scientists said.
Such a long life can be facilitated by a cold habitat that slows down the metabolism of the animal.
Scientists built animal growth models, which showed that the age of one individual can be 23 thousand years. According to higher estimates, animals also known as Scolymastra Joubini could live 40 thousand years. At the same time, scientists admit that these grades can be overstated.
“Working on such a time scale, you need to think not only about the biological consequences, but also to take into account geological events. Fluctuations in sea level associated with the last glacial maximum (LGM, 18,000-22,000 years ago) probably left the place S. JUBINI “high and dry”, since the sea level during LGM was 105-130 meters lower than today. Therefore, we can conclude that not a single naval invertebrate on the shelf of the Ross Sea can be about 15,000 years old, ”said the marine biologist Dr. Suzanne Gatti.
“Nevertheless, we must conclude that the hexactinellids sponges in Antarctica are one of the oldest, if not the oldest living beings on this planet.
Even if a two -meter s. Joubini in the sea of \u200b\u200bRoss had an age equal to half of the one that is supposed to be a curve of growth, he would still be more than 6,000 years, and, therefore, he would be the most ancient living creature not only in the ocean, but also compared to ground life ”,.
Earlier, scientists have identified particles of waste and pollution in the fabrics of almost all fish and mollusks caught in the Pacific North-West of North America.