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Nickelodeon’s famous duo SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star, were recently discovered by marine researchers as they came across a ‘sponge’ and a small starfish somewhere at the bottom of the ocean.
And no, it wasn’t Bikini Bottom but the Atlantic Ocean seabed.
IMAGE: @echinoblog / Twitter
Using a remote operated vehicle to explore the Retriever Seamount off the coast of New England at a depth of 1,885 meters, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists spotted the square-shaped yellow sponge and a five-pointed pink sea star.
At first glance, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History marine biologist Christopher Mah, immediately thought of the two best friends when they appeared on video.
Admitting that he tends to avoid making such references, Mah can't help but share this amazing discovery with his followers on Twitter.
*laugh* I normally avoid these refs..but WOW. REAL LIFE Sponge bob and Patrick! #Okeanos Retreiver seamount 1885 m pic.twitter.com/fffKNKMFjP — Christopher Mah (@echinoblog) July 27, 2021
“I normally avoid these (references), but wow. Real-life SpongeBob and Patrick!” the caption reads.
Posted on July 28, 2021, Mah's Tweet gained over 12,000 likes and 4,000 retweets.
Twitter user @mwhdeere shared an edited version of the photo – making it more fun.
IMAGE: @mwhdeere / Twitter
This discovery was so big that SpongeBob Squarepants’ official Instagram account also posted a comparison photo of the cartoon characters alongside their real-life versions.
Mah, who is also a sea star expert, explained that the scientific name for the sponge is 'Hertwigia' and the starfish is 'Chondraster'. Further adding that the exact species remain unknown and could possibly be a new study.
According to the Smithsonian Magazine, bright yellow sponges are in fact rare since most deep-sea sponges are either white or neutral colored.
Despite being BFFs in the animated series, it's actually a lot harsher in reality as the sponge and sea star don't get along well together.
Speaking to Live Science, Mah said that this species of starfish feeds on sponges based on observation.
However, Mah is glad that this photo of real-life SpongeBob and Patrick has made people happy.
He also hoped that this brings awareness to people about the deep sea as a habitat, and the threat it faces such as mining and deep-sea fishing.
Created by Stephen Hillenburg, SpongeBob Squarepants first premiered in 1999 and has since been a fan favorite, as well as childhood cartoon to many.
IMAGE: Spongebob Fandom
It's great to finally meet the real SpongeBob and Patrick.
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Cover image sourced from @echinoblog / Twitter and Vulture.
