Sea Anemones

Anemones are amazing animals! They have a cylindrical body called a polyp with a mouth on the top, which is surrounded by stinging tentacles that catch prey. They live alone, anchored or burrowed into sea floor material such as rocks or pilings, in either shallow or deep warm ocean waters. A few anemones clone themselves into small groups instead of living a solitary life, and they look a bit more like corals.

Anemones have symbiotic relationships with other animals such as clownfish, which live safely among their tentacles because they have protective mucus that wards off the tentacles’ stings. They keep the anemones free of parasites.