Since it first aired back in 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has been one of the most popular cartoons around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, marine scientists have spotted a yellow sea sponge and pink sea star hanging out together in real life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The adorable duo were spotted on the side of an underwater mountain called Retriever seamount, around 200 miles east of New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christopher Mah, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), shared his findings on Twitter, joking: ‘I normally avoid these refs\u2026 but WOW. REAL LIFE SpongeBob and Patrick!’
The animals were spotted by a remotely operated vehicle (ROVs), sent from the NOAA’s Okeanos Explorer ship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mah explained that they are a Hertwigia (sponge) and Chondraster (starfish). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking to Insider, he added: ‘I thought it would be funny to make the comparison, which for once was actually kind of comparable to the iconic images\/colors of the cartoon characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘As a biologist who specializes in sea stars, most depictions of Patrick and Spongebob are incorrect.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several impressed Twitter users responded to the photo, with one joking that the pair had ‘frozen’ just before the camera appeared. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They wrote: ‘You just know they were cutting it up right before the camera came\u2026 they were like FREEZE.’
Another added: ‘The Netflix adaptation looks great!’
Daily Mail<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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