Page 194 - BEATS Secondary School

Spongebob: How

real is he really?

- Nandini Saluja, MYP 4

Spongebob Squarepants is one of the most
beloved kid’s TV shows of all time. In fact,
I know a few students from high school too
who can still be spotted jamming to the
theme song. As interesting and captivating
Spongebob is, and I had to break your
bubble, it’s all a lie. I am a biology student
and when I was learning about what the
organisms- sponges are really like, I too
was devastated because they are not at all
what they are portrayed like in the TV show.
From their shape to abilities and nutrition to
anatomy, Nickelodeon has got it all wrong.

Firstly, Spongebob belongs to the phylum,
Porifera which mainly consist of sponges,
now as we know by his name, Spongebob
Squarepants, he is a square-shaped
sponge. However, in the actual biological
world, sponges are asymmetrical. So if
Spongebob Squarepants followed biological
norms, he would be, well not a SquarePants,
but more of a blob-like-sponge.

Secondly, the phylum to which SpongeBob
belongs like I mentioned before are literally
the most simple organisms, they have no
specialized cells or tissues, or even a brain.
Therefore the possibility of any sponge
having a mouth, being able to cook and eat
the infamous Krabby patty’s, having eyes,