Sea Anemone
Sea Anemone
Actiniaria
CommonActiniariaVenomous spines
ID points
- A ring of waving tentacles on top of a cylindrical body
- A basal disc grips firmly onto reef rock
- Pulls in to a fleshy ball when it contracts
Basics
- Family
- Actiniaria
- Length
- 5–50 cm
- Depth
- 0-50 m
- Regions
- Indo-Pacific reefs · Caribbean & W. Atlantic
- Distribution
- Coral and rocky reefs worldwide
- Habitat
- Attached to reef rock
- Diet
- Small fish and zooplankton
Easily confused with
Feather StarMany feathery arms spread out into the current
Tube-dwelling AnemoneLives in a long soft tube of its own making
Upside-down JellyfishLies upside down on the bottom, bell down and oral arms upFun fact
It looks like a flower but it is an animal. The tentacles are packed with stinging cells for catching prey, and it is the partner the clownfish simply cannot do without.
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