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If the sea urchin comes into contact with the tentacles of the sea anemone, it may be unable to tear itself free, however, if it is swathed in seaweed fragments or concealed among the seaweed fronds, the sea anemone's tentacles may adhere to the algal material, enabling the sea urchin to make good its escape. [5]
Urticina eques in a Channel Islands sea bottom rich in marine life. Also seen are a purple sea urchin, a chestnut cowrie, and many strawberry anemones. Urticina eques is dioecious. In California, female ripeness occurs in December as the sea temperature begins to fall.
A typical sea anemone is a sessile polyp attached at the base to the surface beneath it by an adhesive foot, called a basal or pedal disc, with a column-shaped body topped by an oral disc. Most are from 1 to 5 cm (0.4 to 2.0 in) in diameter and 1.5 to 10 cm (0.6 to 3.9 in) in length, but they are inflatable and vary greatly in dimensions.
The anemone feeds on sea urchins, small fish, and crabs, but detached mussels seem to be the main food source. [5] [7] There are rare instances where the giant green anemone has consumed seabirds. [9] It is not known whether the birds were alive or dead when engulfed by the anemone.
Urticina crassicornis, commonly known as the mottled anemone, the painted anemone or the Christmas anemone, is a large and common intertidal and subtidal species of sea anemone. Its habitat includes a large portion of the coastal areas of the northern hemisphere, mainly polar regions, and it lives a solitary life for up to 80 years. [ 1 ]
This species can grow to 25 cm high and can reach a diameter of 1 metre, making it one of the largest species of anemone. [4] The tentacles are long and slender, taking the shape of a red column. The tubercles on the column are big and rough, having a white colour. They are organized in circular rows which protrude from the column.
These sheets of tissue develop into tentacles on the surface of the anemone. The tentacles of many species of anemones are found in multiples of six. Unlike other anemone the fish-eating anemone does not possess an acontia, which is thread-like tissue made up of stinging cells that function as a defense mechanism to protect against predators.
As it does so, some of the tentacles grip the rim and pull the tube closed behind it, effectively making it disappear from view. The tube is normally a permanent home, but if the anemone is disturbed from below, as by a burrowing sea urchin, it can eject itself from its tube, move to a new location and secrete a new tube. [4]