Divers have uncovered a treasure trove of underwater animals new to science
off the coast of Rathlin Island - but warned that Spongebob Squarepants and
his family are already under threat.
The scientists from the Ulster Museum have uncovered 128 different sponge
species in the seas off the North Channel island - including nine which are
new to Northern Ireland, three which have never been seen in UK waters and
28 which are new to science altogether.
And although most of us are familiar with Spongebob as the bath accessory we
use to scrub our backs, it turns out he could be the granddaddy of us all.
New DNA research suggests a sponge could well have been the ancestor of all
multi-celled animals - everything from seahorses to dinosaurs to humans.
Bernard Picton, who led the research at Rathlin, says our sponge ancestor
probably existed 500 or 600 million years ago. Its descendants could hold
the key to future medical research.
The new species found at Rathlin could contain chemicals that are potential
antibiotics or anti-cancer drugs, he said.
"It's not just blue sky research," he said.
"We knew that Rathlin Island was an important area for sponges but the
results of the project have surpassed our expectations.
"These findings make it one of the most important areas in Europe for
sponges and this discovery is particularly important because it will aid
other researchers in their study of sponge communities in the future."
Scientists first realised that the sponge communities of Rathlin were
unusually rich during a study of Ulster's wildlife 20 years ago, but it was
only during the recent six-week scuba diving survey that the four-strong
team realised how special the spot is.
The team has collected 849 specimens, taken more than 3,000 photographs and
are investigating another 19 species.
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