Sponge

Sponge is a block notable for being able to remove water in a 5x5x5 area around itself, turning into a wet sponge in the process.

Obtaining
A sponge can be obtained by drying a wet sponge in a furnace. Wet sponges are dropped when Elder Guardians are defeated, and may be harvested from sponge rooms in ocean monuments. Sponges can be mined using any tool, or without a tool.

Drying
A wet sponge can be dried in a furnace, making the sponge reusable. If a bucket is in the fuel slot at the time the sponge completes its drying, either because the player places it there or because the fuel slot had contained a bucket of lava, the water will drain into the bucket, leaving a bucket of water in the fuel slot.

Usage
Sponges absorb water source blocks around themselves, out to a taxicab distance of 5 in all directions. The sponge must be directly touching a water source to absorb water, and will only absorb water connected to an adjacent water block touching the sponge. A Sponge can absorb up to 65 water.

When a sponge absorbs water, it will convert to a wet sponge, which is darker, drips water, and is unable to soak up any more water.

Data values
A sponge has the ID name  and is further defined by its block data. A sponge also has a block state which is expected to replace the functionality of block data in a future version.