The Boy in the Submarine – Episode 9: Sea Anemones

Sea Anemones come in thousands of different shapes and colours, just like flowers!

Owen

Sea Anemones are another invertebrate related to coral. They look kind of like flowers, they are even named after a flower: but their stem is a hard tube, and their petals are tendrils full of stingers. Only a few creatures with special slime can touch a Sea Anemone. Some, like the clown fish even live in the anemone for safety. Others, like some nudibranches eat the stingers in anemones, then put them in their own skin for self-defence.

WHen an Anemone is old ienough it splits down the middle into two new Anemones that quickly heal up. Whole families of anemones live close together that are all clones. And if they get crowded by other anemones they form clone armies that sting the other anemones until they can’t find any more.

Anemones eat microscopic organisms, and are very important for keeping wherever they live clean and healthy, while providing safe hiding places and food for the creatures who can handle the sting.