They do Exist! Scientists Spot a 'Real-Life' SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star

Who lives under the sea in New York City? SpongeBob SquarePants, duh, whose best pal, Patrick Star, lives under a nearby rock.

Real-Life SpongeBob SquarePants & Patrick Spotted By Marine Scientists. 

SpongeBob SquarePants has been one of the most popular cartoons around the world. The Nickelodeon series follows the main character, a yellow sea sponge named SpongeBob, and his best friend, a pink sea star named Patrick Star on their adventures around Bikini Bottom.

He works at the Krusty Krab restaurant and attends Mrs. Puff's Boating School. He is characterized by his optimism and childlike attitude and is influenced by other comedic characters, including Stan Laurel and Pee-Wee Herman. He is voiced by actor and comedian Tom Kenny.

The adorable duo was spotted on the side of an underwater mountain around the east of New York City. Marine biologist Christopher Mah tweeted out an image captured by an NOAA remotely operated deep-sea vehicle, and the resemblance to SpongeBob and Patrick was clear.

“I normally avoid these [references], but WOW. REAL-LIFE SpongeBob and Patrick!” tweeted Mah.

Most sea sponges in the deep sea are orange or white, not yellow like this one. The sponge in question belongs to the genus Hertwigia, and the bright pink sea star nearby is known as a Chondraster star. 

Now the bad news: 

Mah said Chondraster stars like to eat sea sponges, so the tiny Patrick could be about to chomp on his SpongeBob pal.
cnet

There are more than 8,500 species of sponges, and the creatures have been living in the ocean for the last 600 million years. Their shapes and textures vary depending on whether they live on soft sand or hard, rocky surfaces.

The sea star nearby, known as Chondraster, has five arms covered with tiny suckers. Those allow it to creep across the ocean floor and attach itself to rocks and other organisms. Chondraster stars can be dark pink, light pink, or white. Sea stars are carnivores.