A new kind of sea sponge(海绵） found in Norfolk, England, has been named by a nine-year-old girl after a competition for local schools.
The unique purple sponge, which had never been seen in other parts of the world, was first discovered by divers(潜水者) off the north Norfolk coast. Although found in 2011, it had been without a name for almost ten years. In January this year, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS)- a group of people who work to protect the UK's seas and coast - asked local schoolchildren to come up with suggestions.
Now the sponge has a name to be proud of: parpal dumplin, as suggested by nine-year-old Sylvie from Langham Village School. Sylvie said she came up with the name because "the sponge is purple and it looks like a dumpling". Parpal dumpling is "purple dumpling" spoken in a Norfolk accent(口音). The judges all agreed that Sylvie's suggestion should be the sponge's name because "the spelling gives the sponge a strong connection to Norfolk".
Sponges were once thought to be plants but they are actually simple sea animals. They feed on tiny things in sea water and help to keep the water clean in the process. Sponges have a very "lazy" lifestyle, with no means of moving themselves around. They are found on the seabed, rocks or even shells. They come in all kinds of different colours, shapes and sizes.
Parpal dumplin was first discovered in a place called the Cromer Shoal Chalk Beds as part of a project called Seasearch. When diver Dawn Watson showed sponge expert Claire Goodwin what she found, Goodwin was sure that it was a kind of sponge unknown to science. Watson's discovery is a special sponge, which takes the shape of whatever it covers. Parpal dumplin will now become its common name, and will be used until researchers have learned enough about it to suggest an official scientific one.
