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

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