The first animal on Earth is widely believed to be a simple multicellular organism known as the sponge. Sponges are part of the phylum Porifera and have existed for over 600 million years. They are the most primitive form of animal life, characterized by their porous bodies and a simple structure lacking organs and tissues.
These ancient creatures were foundational in the evolutionary story of life on our planet, providing a bridge from single-celled organisms to more complex animals. Living predominantly in marine environments, sponges filter water to obtain nutrients, exhibiting a fundamental biological function that has stood the test of time.
While sponges are not the first animals in a strict sense, as the concept of ‘animal’ can vary, they represent the earliest lineage that has since flourished into the diverse animal kingdom we see today. Their evolutionary significance underlines the importance of simple life forms in understanding the development of complex ecosystems.