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existent - lifespan version of cartoon skilful friends SpongeBob Squarepants and Patrick Star were sitting side by side at the bottom of the sea when marine researchers spotted them .
control a remotely maneuver vehicle , the scientists unwrap the square(ish ) yellow sponger and five - point pinkish sea star at the Retriever Seamount off the coast of New England on July 27 , at a depth of 6,184 feet ( 1,885 measure ) . The research worker , from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) , were explore the seamount as part of the expeditionAtlantic Stepping Stonesonboard the ship Okeanos Explorer . NOAA partake simulacrum of the odd dyad as part of a Facebook livestream .
The real-life SpongeBob and Patrick side by side at the Retriever Seamount.
When Christopher Mah , a marine life scientist at Smithsonian ’s National Museum of Natural History and an expert on ocean star topology , saw the images , he instantly noticed the resemblance with Nickelodeon ’s cartoon character reference . " I normally forefend these [ reference ] , but wow . Real - life history SpongeBob and Patrick , " Mah write onTwitteralongside a screengrab of the sponge and sea ace .
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The comparison to Bikini Bottom ’s dynamic duo was made " as presently as I saw them on telecasting , " Mah told Live Science .
The official SpongeBob SquarepantsInstagramaccount also joined in on the fun and shared an image of the real - life beast alongside their cartoon opposite number .
" The sponge is [ in ] the genusHertwigiaand the sea star is [ in ] the genusChondraster , " Mah said . The exact metal money is undecipherable , and they could even be brand new to science , he added .
The photo is particularly interesting to scientists because it is rare to find brilliant - yellow sponges at this depth . Most bass - ocean poriferan are white or other neutral colors , which serve them blend in with their surroundings , according toSmithsonian Magazine .
unluckily , the comparing with the cartoon case finish with appearances , because in real living the two creatures are far from friends . " This species of starfish has been observed feed on sponges , " Mah said . And it is possible that this may have bechance after the television camera stop roll , he added .
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SpongeBob Squarepants was created by energiser and marine scientist Stephen Hillenburg to help train children about marine sprightliness . The TV show debuted in 1999 and is still going inviolable today .
" I ’m happy that the photo has brought pleasure to so many people , " Mah said . " I hope it also brings awareness to the abstruse sea as a habitat , which has been threatened by excavation and deep - sea fishing . "
Originally published on Live Science .
