divepix - Giant Anemone

Giant Anemone

Aspect:	A mass of blunt or bulb-tipped tentacles arranged in several rows around the top surface of a stout and squatting cylindical body, but leaving a clear area (the oral disc) at the centre of which is the mouth, which can be seen on some of the photos below. Colours can vary considerably. As with all polyps, the role of the tentacles is to sting small organisms and bring them to the central mouth (one of the photos shows a tentacle bent back over to the mouth to do just that).
Population:	Very common
Notable feature:	Home to a number of creatures, mainly shrimps like the Squat Anemone Shrimp (q.v.) and the Sun Anemone Shrimp (q.v.) that are immune to the poisoning effect of the tentacles' nematocysts.
Environment:	Usually found in semi protected areas at the foot of a boulder or typically on a wreck, on the angle of a floor surface and a bulckhead.
Behaviour:	Ignores divers even if approached closely. May have a stinging effect if touched.

More in this category: Banded Tube-Dwelling Anemone »