NOAA researchers studying the deep waters off the coast of Hawaii were stunned when they spotted a sponge that was the size of a minivan!
The incredible creature, discovered at the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, measures an astounding 11 feet long, five feet wide, and 6 feet tall.
In light of its enormous size, oceanographers speculate that it is amongst the world's oldest animals, if not the most aged of them all.
NOAA's Daniel Wagner told New Scientist, "my best guess is that this is likely a very old sponge on the order of century to millennia."
While it is incredible to think of how the world has changed throughout the sponge's time on this Earth, it's unlikely that the creature has much of an opinion, since it has spent its life underwater and missed all that history unfold.
Source: New Scientist