1. These pore bearing animals are commonly called sponges.
2. They are aquatic, mostly marine, asymmetrical.
3. They are primitive, multicellular, sessile animals with cellular level of organization.
4. They are either radially symmetrical or asymmetrical animals.
5. They possess a water transport system or canal system (water enters through minute pores called ostia the water enters into a central cavity (spongocoel) and goes out through the osculum.
6. This water transport system is helpful in food gathering, circulation, respiration and removal of waste.
7. Choanocytes or collar cells are special flagellated cells lining the spongocoel and the canals.
8. Nutrition is holozoic and intracellular.
9. All sponges are hermaphrodites.
10.Asexually reproduction by fragmentation or gemmule formation
11.Sexually by the formation of gametes.
12.Development is indirect with different types of larval stages (Larvae: parenchymula and amphiblastula) eg. Sycon (Scypha), Spongilla (fresh water sponge).
