Phylum - Porifera
Common name: Sponges
Name derivation: "channel bearer"
- Class: Calcarea
- Class: Demospongiae
- Class: Hexactinellida
- Class: Homoscleromorpha
Order Count: 31
Family Count: 145
Genus Count: 789
Species Count: 9,796
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 March 2025