| Property | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Anchored |
| Category | Sponges |
A Jar Sponge is an unimplemented lifeform in Subnautica 2.
Databank Entry
Symphon pithos, the large jar sponge. A filter-feeder that produces antibiotics and other chemicals in bulk. Possibly a runaway crop.
1. Sponge morphology
Like both Protean and Earth sponges, a simple animal without organs. Pumps water in through pores and out through its central aperture, filtering nutrients.
2. Pharmacological factory
A single strain of symbiotic bacteria produces potent antibiotics which kill other microbes. The sponge itself uses genes apparently transferred from extinct symbiotes to produce large amounts of a single chemical—such as antibiotics, resins, plastics or steroids. This chemical product pools in the jar's center.
3. Runaway crop?
The jar sponge's wide, accessible aperture and pure chemical product suggest it may be a crop.
4. Alternative hypothesis
The jar sponge may have been selected by a forager which tended to destroy smaller or less chemically productive sponges.
Assessment: a possible sign of re-wilding after the collapse of agriculture.
Trivia: in the original Greek, the myth of Pandora's box actually refers to a pithos (jar).
