We may think of sea anemones as a tropical creature, but did you know that they can thrive in the frigid coastal waters of New England?
Something Wild
January 22, 2005 -- Sea Anemones
This time of year, many of us daydream about swimming in the warm Caribbean sea, surrounded by tropical coral reefs covered with colorful sea anemones. However, sea anemones live everywhere in the oceans. They can be found at all depths but are particularly abundant in coastal waters -- even here in frigid New England!
Hi, this is Iain MacLeod from New Hampshire Audubon, bringing you Something Wild.
Looking like undersea dahlias, sea anemones can easily be mistaken for flowering plants. However, these fascinating animals are related to jellyfishes and corals. Their bodies consist of a sack-shaped mouth surrounded by dozens of tentacles. Some anemones are tiny, but most are from one to several inches across and several species are much larger.
Sea anemones attach themselves to rocks, the ocean floor, or even pilings, usually in shallow parts of the ocean just below the low-tide line. They can move slowly from place to place, but generally stay put unless they are unhappy with their neighborhood.
Sea anemones? tentacles contain hundreds of stinging cells that help to capture prey and also defend against predators. When an animal bumps into the tentacles, the stinging cells inject paralyzing toxins. Some cells will also fire a minute barbed thread into the victim, holding it fast. The more the animal struggles, the more cells are stimulated, and the tentacles wrap around the prey, drawing it into the anemone?s mouth. When alarmed, or after they finish feeding, anemones retract their tentacles into their mouths for safekeeping.
Sea anemones usually reproduce by releasing eggs and sperm into the water. But anemones can also reproduce by dividing themselves or by shedding bits of tissue as they move. These "buds" will then grow into clones of their parents. This reproductive flexibility has helped them to successfully colonize the world?s oceans ? even ours!
Something Wild is a joint production of New Hampshire Audubon, New Hampshire Public Radio, and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
For Something Wild, I?m Iain MacLeod.
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