SEA ANEMONE
Sea Anemones may look like colorful underwater flowers, but they are animals related to corals and jellyfish. Their tentacles are armed with specialized stinging cells that help them capture prey, defend themselves and survive along rocky ocean shores.
Learn how to interact
ABOUT SEA ANEMONES
The Sea Anemone featured at Layton Aquarium is identified as Anthopleura elegantissima, commonly known as the aggregating or clonal anemone. It is a marine invertebrate in the phylum Cnidaria, making it a close relative of corals and jellyfish. Its soft, cylindrical body ends in an oral disc surrounded by numerous tentacles.
Those tentacles contain specialized stinging structures called nematocysts. When tiny crustaceans or other prey come within reach, the stinging cells help immobilize the animal so the anemone can move it toward its mouth. Although these microscopic stingers are effective against small prey, many anemones have stings that people barely notice.
Aggregating Anemones also have an unusual relationship with photosynthetic microorganisms living inside their tissues. Microalgae and dinoflagellates can provide the anemone with nutrients produced using sunlight. These anemones can reproduce sexually, but they are especially well known for reproducing asexually by splitting and creating genetically identical individuals that form dense colonies.
Care & Conservation
Aggregating Anemones remain common along rocky portions of the Pacific Coast and are not currently listed as threatened or endangered. Their coastal habitats can still be affected by pollution, oil spills and disturbance. Protecting clean tide pools and rocky shore ecosystems helps support anemones and the many other animals that share these habitats.
Mon-Sat 11AM-7PM Sun 12PM-6PM
PERSON!
Visit Layton Aquarium & Wildlife Encounters and discover the colorful world of Sea Anemones up close.