The Sea Anemone

Would you believe this is not a plant? It is an animal! This creature, the Green Sea Anemone(ah-nem-oh-nee), feeds on tiny fish and other animals that accidentally cross its path. As you can see, it has dozens of wiggly tentacles or arms. On each arm, there are microscopic structures. These tiny structures are like hairs. If the hairs on the tentacles are touched by a passing fish, they will trigger a bunch of mini “harpoons” to stick into the fish. The mini “harpoons” also have a poison, which shoots into the fish. So the fish gets caught and then stunned by the poison. Almost instantly, the tentacles all close in on the fish. The fish is then put into the mouth, the round thing in the middle. And, gulp, down the hatch goes the fish to be digested. These anemones are fixed to rocks. You can see many of these in the tide pools off of Orange County. In general, they are not harmful to humans. Some people feel a little tingle on their finger if they touch one accidentally. So avoid touching a sea anemone with any part of your body.

Did you find this useful? If so, you can send a "tip" to my PAYPAL.COM account. My email address is kathomatho@yahoo.com. I will donate 10% of your tip to The Orange County Zoo.