Sponges are part of what phylum, which gets its name from the latin for "having pores"?
annelida
mammalia
chordata
porifera
Sponges ( Figure below ) are classified in the phylum Porifera, from the Latin words meaning "having pores. " These pores allow the movement of water into the sponges’ sac-like bodies. Sponges must pump water through their bodies in order to eat. Because sponges are sessile , meaning they cannot move, they filter water to obtain their food. They are, therefore, known as filter feeders. Filter feeders must filter the water to separate out the organisms and nutrients they want to eat from those they do not.