The sponge and starfish were found a mile deep into the sea and 200 miles off the Atlantic coast as part of a regular Okeanos Explorer trip to document an area of the ocean near New England.

Yes, unlike the cartoon’s cheery portrayal of the relationship between sea sponge and starfish, the real-life dynamic is anything but. “The reality is a little crueler than perhaps a cartoon ...

A photo of a real-life sponge and starfish hanging out together delighted the internet. "The reality is a little crueler than perhaps a cartoon would suggest," says the researcher who posted it.

SpongeBob SquarePants and his starfish best friend, Patrick Star, aren’t such cartoonish creatures after all. According to an image taken by a marine biologist doing remote deep-sea exploration ...

A photo of a real-life sponge and starfish hanging out together delighted the internet. But "the reality is a little crueler than perhaps a cartoon would suggest," says the researcher who posted it.

Bad news: Sponges and sea stars aren't actually pals. ... The expedition was more than 200 miles off the Atlantic coast when the now-famous sponge and starfish were sighted. ...

Bad news: sponges and sea stars aren't actually pals. Rather than chilling together under the sea, Mah suspects a different reason for the creatures' closeness: sea stars like to feed on sponges. "In ...