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Common name: Sponges
Name derivation: "channel bearer"
Number of Orders: 31
Number of Families: 145
Number of Genus: 784
Number of known Species: 9,703
Earliest Fossil Record: Middle Ediacaran 580 mya
Habitat: Marine, Freshwater
Size Range: 0.05 mm to 3.5 m
Notes: Based on Catalogue of Life as of July 2024