Sandy anemone

Biology

This anemone grows up to 10 centimetres, but has over 300 short tentacles. The species has a wide range of colours, including pink, brown, green and blue, often with contrastingly-coloured tentacles. It feeds on small crustaceans and molluscs that it captures with its tentacles. It prefers areas where there is strong wave action that tears molluscs from the rocks, and it seems to rely on this turbulence to supply its prey. Often found forming colonies in sandy bottoms, but also in rocks or tide pools.

Curiosities

Its body column is covered with sticky knobs to which sand and debris particles adhere, hence the name “sandy anemone”.