10 Marine Animals Featured in SpongeBob SquarePants
The brilliant world of SpongeBob SquarePants was brought to life by Stephen Hillenburg, who was not only an animator but also a marine science teacher. Hillenburg didn’t create his characters randomly—although fictionalized, many of them are inspired by real marine animals.
Through its entertaining stories, the show also subtly teaches viewers about different types of marine creatures. So, what kinds of marine animals are represented in the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon? Let’s explore them in detail!
1. SpongeBob - The Sea Sponge

Our main character, SpongeBob SquarePants, is a sea sponge or spongefish (Porifera). Sea sponges have porous bodies and obtain nutrients by filtering substances from the surrounding water.
However, unlike SpongeBob—who has arms, legs, and can move around—a real sea sponge cannot move. SpongeBob's design is inspired by the yellow tube sponge, scientifically known as Aplysina fistularis.
2. Patrick Star - Starfish

SpongeBob’s loyal friend Patrick is a starfish, as are the rest of his family. Starfish are marine animals with neither brains nor blood, which humorously aligns with Patrick's dumb persona.
Starfish belong to a group of marine animals called Echinodermata. Animals in this group have radial symmetry in their body structure and often feature spiny outer skin.
In addition to starfish, other members of this group include sea urchins and sea cucumbers—both of which also make appearances in the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon.
3. Squidward Tentacles - Octopus

SpongeBob’s neighbor and co-worker, Squidward, is inspired by a real octopus, despite his name suggesting he’s a squid. Interestingly, Squidward is depicted with only six tentacles, whereas a real octopus has eight.
Octopuses belong to the Cephalopoda class, which also includes squids, ammonites, vampire squids, and other similar creatures.
4. Gary - Sea Snail

In the cartoon, Gary is portrayed as a pet similar to a cat, although he is actually a sea slug. Unlike Gary, who is fed canned food by SpongeBob, real sea slugs primarily feed on plants, with some species being omnivorous.
Sea slugs are among the slowest-moving animals on Earth. However, their shells have inspired some of the world’s strongest materials, thanks to the presence of nano-sized iron sulfide minerals.
5. Mr. Krabs - Crab

Who doesn’t know Mr. Krabs? This money-loving crab is one of the most iconic characters in the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon. Mr. Krabs is also the owner of the Krusty Krab, the restaurant where SpongeBob works.
In the show, Mr. Krabs isn’t the only crab character. There’s also a hermit crab (portrayed as a clam) and a yeti crab, both of which are real species found in the marine world.
6. Plankton – Copepoda

Plankton or Sheldon J. Plankton is portrayed as one of the characters who has a rather antagonistic persona, mainly because of his ambition to beat the Krusty Krab's success at all costs. He is a Copepod animal, living in a big bucket with his robot wife Karen.
Despite the negative branding of the Plankton character, in real life, Copepods play an important role in the sustainability of the marine ecosystem. They are the source of nutrition for many marine organisms. Without Copepods, the maritime food chain would not work properly.
7. Mrs. Puff - Puffer Fish

SpongeBob's driving school teacher, Mrs. Puff, is a pufferfish, specifically a porcupine pufferfish. These fish have large bodies and hard spines on their scales, and they can inflate their bodies when threatened—much like Mrs. Puff does when SpongeBob repeatedly fails his driving test and nearly causes her harm.
Mrs. Puff was married to Mr. Puff, who was also a pufferfish. He makes an appearance in the episode “Krusty Love.” Unfortunately, Mr. Puff met a tragic fate at the hands of humans, who used his body as a light bulb decoration.
8. Pearl Krabs - Sperm Whale

Pearl's role as the daughter of Mr. Krabs raises some questions: how can a crab have a whale for a child? However, the SpongeBob trivia book clarifies that Pearl's mother, Mrs. Krabs, is also a whale.
Both Pearl and Mrs. Krabs are sperm whales, which are large toothed predators and possess the largest brain of any living creature on Earth. Pearl is characterized as a sweet teenage girl, though her crying often disturbs those around her, including her father, Mr. Krabs.
9. Larry - Lobster

Like Mr. Krabs, Larry belongs to the Crustacea group, but he is a lobster. His character was created by Stephen Hillenburg as a dashing and muscular figure. Larry has various professions that showcase his strength, including beachcomber, weightlifter, and gym owner.
In addition to Larry, other lobster characters appear in the SpongeBob franchise, such as Federico the Waiter from the SpongeBob video game “Employee of the Month” and the Fin Locker shopkeeper in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie video game.
10. Jellyfish

In the cartoon, jellyfish serve as a representation of bees because they can sting and produce a jelly that resembles honey. Despite their somewhat creepy appearance, jellyfish in SpongeBob are depicted as adorable due to their pink coloration.
Jellyfish belong to the Cnidaria group, which consists of invertebrates with body cavities. However, it’s important to note that Cnidarians are distinct from sea sponges. Not only are they morphologically different, but their habitats also vary significantly, even though both jellyfish and SpongeBob coexist in Bikini Bottom.
These are just ten of the marine animals featured in SpongeBob SquarePants. Many other real marine creatures appear in the cartoon, though most are fictionalized to align with the show's humorous vibe. We hope you find this article helpful!